Ivory Coast absolutely stole that group win with a last-minute chaos header. The Elephants, needing a victory to top Group F over Cameroon, were getting cooked by Gabon early on, down 2-0 from goals by Guelor Kanga and Denis Bouanga. Jean-Philippe Krasso got one back before halftime, but the Ivorians looked dead until substitutions like Manchester United’s Amad and Aston Villa’s Evann Guessand changed things. Guessand scored a header to equalize, then Bazoumana Toure dove to win it in added time, completing a brutal comeback for manager Emerse Fae’s squad.
They were honestly terrible for most of it. Gabon, already eliminated, dominated the first half and should have sealed it, but the Ivorian bench made the difference. A late breakaway goal by Yan Diomande was chopped off by VAR for offside, just adding to the nonsense. Cameroon, who beat Mozambique, thought they had won the group until those final frantic minutes completely flipped the standings.
This nonsense saves Ivory Coast from a nightmare knockout path. Instead of facing South Africa and being stuck with giants like Morocco, Algeria, and Nigeria, they now get Burkina Faso in Marrakesh. They still landed in the heavier side of the bracket with Egypt and Senegal, meaning their wild escape might just delay the inevitable exit.
They were honestly terrible for most of it. Gabon, already eliminated, dominated the first half and should have sealed it, but the Ivorian bench made the difference. A late breakaway goal by Yan Diomande was chopped off by VAR for offside, just adding to the nonsense. Cameroon, who beat Mozambique, thought they had won the group until those final frantic minutes completely flipped the standings.
This nonsense saves Ivory Coast from a nightmare knockout path. Instead of facing South Africa and being stuck with giants like Morocco, Algeria, and Nigeria, they now get Burkina Faso in Marrakesh. They still landed in the heavier side of the bracket with Egypt and Senegal, meaning their wild escape might just delay the inevitable exit.
