Amad Diallo on the right, Yan Diomande on the left – the wingers from defending champion Ivory Coast made the difference against Burkina Faso.
Defending champions Ivory Coast moved into the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a confident 3-0 (2-0) win against Burkina Faso. The young attacker Yan Diomande (32nd) from RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim’s Bazoumana Touré (87th) contributed two goals on Tuesday in Marrakesh. The strong Amad Diallo from Manchester United took the lead (20th).
Germany’s group opponents at the 2026 World Cup made a top-class quarter-final perfect. The opponent is Egypt in Agadir on Saturday at 8 p.m. The record African champions led by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah won 3-1 after extra time against Benin.
Strong lob from Diallo
The Ivory Coast made it clear from the start who was the favorite against Burkina Faso. She often won the ball in the opponent’s half and was particularly active from the outside. On the right, Diallo caused pressure and several dangerous situations.
He initially had a bit of luck with the goal as he fought his way through several opponents. But his finish was top-notch; he lofted the ball into the net over the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Hervé Koffi in a tight space. It was Diallo’s third goal of the tournament.
Diomande active and successful
His counterpart on the left wing is called Diomande. In the 31st minute, the 19-year-old shot just past the right from 16 meters, and a minute later he was successful from 15 meters with his right. It was his debut goal at the Africa Cup, and Diallo had done the preparatory work.
Burkina Faso’s defense around Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba seemed overwhelmed by the offensive power and counter-pressing of the Ivory Coast. Every now and then the challenger also set his own accents, in the 40th minute Dango Ouattara from Brentford FC came close to scoring with a shot at the outside post.
Ndicka and Kossounou as the defense center
After the break, Burkina Faso came out of the locker room motivated and had a direct goal through Cyriaque Irié. However, the 19-year-old left winger from SC Freiburg missed.
The Ivory Coast quickly got the game back under control, and the central defense around former Bundesliga professionals Evan Ndicka (AS Roma, formerly Freiburg) and Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta Bergamo, formerly Leverkusen) remained secure. However, it is questionable whether the duo can also play against Egypt: Kossounou had to leave the field shortly before the end.
Burkina Faso is fighting back
On the offensive, the Ivory Coast no longer acted as explosively and purposefully as in the first half and hardly had any good chances. Instead, Burkina Faso became more dangerous after an hour: Ouattara had a good opportunity (62nd) and substitute Georgi Minoungou also caused the alarm.
Inevitably there was room for the Ivory Coast to counterattack and in the 76th minute Diallo had the preliminary decision in hand – he missed from close range.
Shortly before, Hoffenheim’s Touré had replaced Leipzig’s Diomande on the left wing. Shortly before the end, he made the decision: After sprinting almost the entire length of the pitch, he saw goalkeeper Koffi opening the short corner and shot precisely into the gap.