CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Defending champion Ivory Coast rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Gabon 3-2 at the African Cup of Nations on Wednesday, with Bazoumana Touré scoring in stoppage time to reach the knockout stages.
Toure headed in the winning goal from Christopher Opéri’s cross, and Les Elephant staged a dramatic comeback, outscoring the Indomitable Lions and finishing top of Group F behind Cameroon.
Opera set up fellow substitute Evan Gessand to score the equalizer in the 84th minute.
In the other match in the group stage, five-time champions Cameroon came from behind to beat Mozambique 2-1.
Ivory Coast and Cameroon both finished with 7 points and a goal difference of plus 2, but Cameroon’s 4 goals and Ivory Coast’s 5 goals.
Mozambique also advanced to the last 16 as one of the top four teams in the top three.
Gabon started with two losses and was already eliminated.
last 16 games
Ivory Coast will remain in Marrakech after advancing through the group stage and will next face Burkina Faso in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Cameroon faces a tough battle against South Africa in Rabat on Sunday, while Mozambique face Nigeria in Fez the following day.
It’s down but not gone
Despite losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in the final group match, Sudan qualified in the top three and is expected to advance to the final tournament.
Both teams were already guaranteed to advance ahead of Wednesday’s Group E match. Sudan advanced despite the complicated circumstances of having to play all of its qualifying matches away from home as it grapples with a brutal war and humanitarian crisis.
“This is good for all Sudanese,” Sudan coach James Appiah said. The team will next face 2021 champions Senegal in the last 16 in Tangier on Saturday.
Burkina Faso got off to a good start, and the Stallions took the lead in the 16th inning through Lassina Traore.
Sudan had a golden chance to equalize when Burkina Faso keeper Hervé Kofi kicked Al Gozoli Nou inside the penalty area, but Nou missed the spot kick.
Sudanese fans, who were in large numbers at Stade Mohammed V Stadium, tried to rally the team. Yasir Mozamil narrowly missed the target and Amal Abdallah missed another good chance for Sudan.
Burkina Faso finished second in the group, with Arsène Kouassi’s late goal clinching victory for the Stallions.
algeria wins
Algeria, who are already assured of finishing first in their group, finished with three losses, beating Equatorial Guinea 3-1 before facing Congo in the last 16.
Zinedine Belide, Fares Chaibi and Ibrahim Maza scored for Algeria in the first half.
Veteran forward Emilio Nsuue – Play legally in the African Cup for the first time – In the second half, they gave National Thunder a stunning victory. The 35-year-old Ensoué was the top scorer in the last edition, but FIFA ruled he would not be eligible to play in 2024 after playing for Equatorial Guinea for 11 years. He finally received permission to participate in March of this year.
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Associated Press at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
