IVORY COAST CHRISTIAN KOUAME AND IBRAHIM SANGARE OVERWHELMED ZAMBIANS FANS IN AFCON QUALIFIERS
The Ivory Coast was far too strong for Zambia in the second match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group H qualifiers
The Ivory Coast was simply too hot for Zambia in the second match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Group H match at the Stade de Yamoussoukro.
In a match Sports Brief observed, the Elephants overran Chipolopolo 3-1 in what was a relatively comfortable win, a match that was a repeat of the legendary 2012 final in Equatorial-Guinea that Zambia won its maiden senior African title.
Serge Aurier opened the scoring for the hosts in the 67th minute, before goals from Christian Kouame in the 76th minute and Ibrahim Sangare’s 89th minute dagger put them in a commanding and unassailable 3-0 lead. The defiant Patson Daka pulled one back in the 93rd minute to add respectability to the scoreline.
The Ivorians might have qualified automatically as the hosts of next year’s continental showpiece event, but they appeared intent on getting to it in the reddest-hot fashion possible, partly because they failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Passage to the tournament shouldn’t prove particularly troublesome for Zambia, as they have to contend with Comoros and Lesotho as the other nations in the group, but they cannot repeat what was a toothless effort.
Comoros happened to swat is Likoena 2-0 in the earlier match courtesy of goals by Youssouf Yacoub M’Changama and Benjaloud Youssou.
These results had the Ivory Coast leading the group ahead of the Comoros islands by virtue of goal difference, while Zambia and Lesotho came in third and fourth respectively similarly.
