Côte d’Ivoire’s quest for back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles gathered further momentum on Tuesday night in Marrakesh, as the defending champions booked their place in the Morocco 2025 quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso.
Once again, Amad Diallo was at the heart of the Ivorian display. The Manchester United winger opened the scoring and provided an assist for the second goal, underlining his growing influence as Les Éléphantscontinue to prove that their triumph on home soil was no coincidence.
The result sets up a tantalising quarter-final clash against record champions Egypt, scheduled for Saturday in Agadir.
Côte d’Ivoire began the contest at a relentless tempo, immediately pushing Burkina Faso onto the back foot. Diallo and Yan Diomandé were constant threats in advanced areas, stretching the Burkinabè defence with pace and movement.
The breakthrough arrived in the 20th minute following sustained Ivorian pressure. A brief ping-pong between two Burkina Faso defenders inside the penalty area allowed Diallo to pounce inside the six-yard box, delicately chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.
Twelve minutes later, Diallo turned provider with a moment of quality. He delivered a low, inviting cross across the face of goal for Diomandé, who took a composed first touch before drilling a low finish past the goalkeeper to double the advantage.
Burkina Faso came close to reducing the deficit just before the interval when Dango Ouattara surged down the right flank, but his low effort struck the post and rebounded safely into the goalkeeper’s arms.
The Stallions emerged with renewed intent after the break and enjoyed an improved spell, launching waves of attacks in search of a route back into the contest. However, they found an Ivorian backline in resolute mood, defending with discipline and composure.
Any lingering hopes of a comeback were extinguished three minutes from time. Breaking swiftly on the counter-attack, Ousmane Diomandé latched onto a precise pass from Odilon Kossounou before finishing confidently at the near post to seal the result.
With the outcome beyond doubt, Côte d’Ivoire calmly saw out the remaining minutes to secure a convincing victory and a well-earned place in the last eight.
