Maza successful for Algeria
©IMAGO
Germany’s World Cup opponents Ivory Coast achieved a lackluster victory at the Africa Cup of Nations. The defending champion beat outsiders Mozambique 1-0 (0-0) in their opening game on Christmas Eve.
The goal for the Ivorians was scored by Amad Diallo in the 49th minute at the Stade de Marrakech. Leipzig Bundesliga professional Yan Diomande played for the winning team from the start. Bazoumana Touré from TSG Hoffenheim sat on the bench throughout the game. On Mozambique’s side, Stanley Ratifo from BSG Chemie Leipzig played 67 minutes.
Last year, Ivory Coast won their third continental title at their home tournament – despite a change of coach during the finals. Coach Emerse Faé’s team is also one of the favorites to win at this year’s edition in Morocco. Other group opponents are Cameroon and Gabon, who drew 1-0 on the same evening.
The Ivory Coast will face the German team of national coach Julian Nagelsmann in the second preliminary round game at the World Cup on June 20, 2026 in Toronto. Other teams in Group E are Ecuador and World Cup debutants Curaçao.
Africa Cup: Tapsoba saves Burkina Faso against Equatorial Guinea
Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba saved Burkina Faso from embarrassment in the first game against outsiders Equatorial Guinea at the Africa Cup. In a turbulent final phase, Bayer 04’s central defender scored the 2-1 winning goal in the 97th minute.
At the start of the tournament, the 2013 finalist struggled for a long time despite players like Dango Ouattara (Brentford) and Bertrand Traoré (Sunderland) in the squad and even fell behind shortly before the end. In the 85th minute, Marvin Anieboh scored for Equatorial Guinea, which is one of the smallest nations in the tournament with a squad value of 18.6 million euros. In the long injury time, Burkina Faso came back spectacularly. First, Georgi Minoungou equalized on Ouattara’s assist (90+5), three minutes later Tapsoba scored for the celebrated victory.
In Group E, Burkina Faso now has a good chance of progressing. In the second group game, Algeria beat Sudan 3-0 (1-0). Riyad Mahrez (2nd and 61st minutes) and Tapsoba’s teammate Ibrahim Maza (85th) scored the goals. Salaheldin Adil was shown a yellow-red card for Sudan in the 39th minute. The first two teams qualify directly for the round of 16 and the best four third-place teams are also there.