AFCON Round-Up: Diallo Delivers For Ivory Coast, Mahrez Rolls Back the Years

(Credit: AP)

Amad Diallo and Riyad Mahrez took centre stage as the opening round of AFCON group games wrapped up in Morocco — and defending champions Ivory Coast and former winners Algeria both got the job done in style.

Diallo Makes The Difference

Diallo was the difference in Marrakesh, firing Ivory Coast to a gritty 1-0 Group F win over Mozambique. The Manchester United winger struck early in the second half, pouncing inside the box after a headed cross dropped perfectly into his path.

It wasn’t pretty in the rain, but it was effective — and it keeps the Ivorians firmly on track as they chase a rare title defence.

Mahrez Leads Algeria To Victory

Algeria, meanwhile, were far more ruthless. Led by a vintage Riyad Mahrez, the 2019 champions cruised past 10-man Sudan 3-0 in Rabat. Mahrez wasted no time, scoring after just 82 seconds, then added a second just after the hour to make it eight AFCON goals across his career. Ibrahim Maza sealed the rout late on as Algeria laid down an early marker after back-to-back group-stage exits in recent tournaments.

There was extra significance in the stands too, with Zinedine Zidane watching on as his son Luca started in goal for Algeria — drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Elsewhere in AFCON

Cameroon edged a fiery central African clash 1-0 against Gabon, Karl Etta Eyong striking after just six minutes in Agadir. Burkina Faso produced the comeback of the night, scoring twice deep into stoppage time to stun Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in Casablanca after playing most of the second half against 10 men.

(with AFP inputs)