Defending champions Ivory Coast were held to a 1-1 draw by Cameroon in an entertaining Group F clash at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Sunday night at the Stade de Marrakech, Bold Sports reports.
Both sides entered the encounter buoyed by narrow victories in their opening matches, with Ivory Coast edging Mozambique 1-0 and Cameroon overcoming Gabon by the same scoreline, and the contest lived up to its billing as one of the group’s standout fixtures.
The first half was a cautious and closely fought affair, with neither team willing to concede ground. Clear chances were limited as the midfield battle dominated proceedings, sending the teams into the break locked at 0-0.
The match sprang to life shortly after the restart. Ivory Coast thought they had taken the lead just three minutes into the second half, only for Frank Kessie’s goal to be ruled out following a VAR review. Undeterred, the defending champions continued to press and were rewarded moments later when Amad Diallo broke the deadlock. The winger struck in the 51st minute to hand Emerse Faé’s side the advantage, registering his second goal of the tournament.
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Cameroon responded positively and found an equaliser five minutes later in fortuitous fashion. Junior Tchamadeu’s effort took a significant deflection off Ivory Coast left back Ghislain Konan, looping over goalkeeper Yahia Fofana and into the net to level the scores at 1-1.
The final stages saw both teams push for a late winner, with end-to-end action and half chances at either end, but neither side could find the finishing touch in the closing moments.
The draw leaves Ivory Coast and Cameroon level on four points after two group matches. Ivory Coast will conclude their group campaign against Gabon on Wednesday, while Cameroon face Mozambique in what promises to be another decisive round of fixtures.
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