Amad Diallo gave Ivory Coast a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations defence, scoring the only goal in a controlled 1-0 victory over Mozambique in Marrakech, as Emerse Fae’s side moved top of Group
F ahead of Cameroon and Gabon.
Ivory Coast dominated most of the contest and created chances across both halves, yet the margin stayed narrow. The breakthrough came four minutes after the restart, when Franck Kessie headed a knock-down and Amad guided a first-time finish into the bottom-left corner.
The performance matched a long-term pattern at this tournament. Ivory Coast are now unbeaten in 14 straight AFCON opening matches, with nine wins and five draws, and have not lost on matchday one since a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in 1996.
Match data underlined the champions’ control. Ivory Coast attempted 15 shots and produced 1.26 expected goals, while Mozambique registered four efforts worth 0.24 expected goals. Mozambique have still not collected a single win in 16 AFCON matches, with four draws, 12 defeats and no clean sheets.
Fae’s team are aiming to become the first back-to-back AFCON winners since Egypt, who lifted three consecutive titles between 2006 and 2010. The display against Mozambique suggested a side already settled, even though the scoreline did not reflect their territorial and attacking control.
The champions could have moved ahead before half-time. Yan Diomande had a penalty appeal dismissed, then Ghislain Konan sliced wide after a driving run from Amad on the right. Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan Siluane also blocked Kessie’s shot, scrambling across to keep the game level.
Ivory Coast continued to threaten after Amad’s goal but missed further chances to extend the lead in heavy rain. Kessie headed wide from close range, while Vakoun Bayo wasted another headed chance and saw a separate effort cleared off the line by Guimain, yet the single goal proved enough.
The result gave Ivory Coast early control of Group F and maintained strong momentum from previous tournaments. Mozambique, in contrast, left Marrakech still searching for a first AFCON victory, with historical records and match statistics both highlighting the ongoing gap between the teams.
