Côte d’Ivoire maintained its long dominance over Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 2-0 victory in the opening Group C game of the 2027 qualifiers at the Stade de la Paix de Bouaké on Thursday.
It extends Ghana’s winless run in AFCON qualifiers against the Elephants to five (four defeats, one draw).
Brighton’s Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring in the 44th minute with a thunderous low drive from the edge of the box after an assist from Franck Kessié.
In the 58th minute Kessié doubled the lead from the penalty spot following a foul on Yalcouye.
Hervé Renard’s Ivorians dominated from the start with 66% possession and 10 shots in the first half.
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Ghana, coached by Carlos Queiroz and without injured stars Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew and Thomas Partey, managed only five off-target efforts in the first half.
The win puts Côte d’Ivoire on three points after Matchday 1, while Ghana starts without a point. The group also contains The Gambia and Somalia.
The two sides meet again in the return leg on March 24, 2027, in Ghana.
The Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco and last won the tournament in 1982.
