Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Morocco Off to a Winning Start in Afcon Qualifiers

Ivory Coast Starts Strong, Egypt Earns Late Victory, Morocco Dominates

Ivory Coast Dominates Comoros

In the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers, Ivory Coast secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Comoros. The Elephants took an early lead through Nicolas Pepe's 10th-minute strike and maintained control throughout the game. Jean Evrard Kouassi's goal in the 24th minute extended the lead, and although Faiz Selemani pulled one back for Comoros, Maxwel Cornet's late goal sealed the win for Ivory Coast.

Egypt Secures Dramatic Win Over Guinea

Seven-time Afcon champions Egypt faced a resilient Guinea side and needed a late penalty to secure a 1-0 victory. The Pharaohs struggled to break down the Guinean defense until Omar Marmoush was fouled in the penalty area in the 87th minute. Mohamed Salah stepped up to convert the spot-kick and earn Egypt three crucial points.

Morocco Cruises Past Sudan

Morocco, the highest-ranked African team in FIFA's rankings, lived up to expectations with a dominant 4-1 victory over Sudan. Sofiane Boufal opened the scoring within the first ten minutes, and Zakaria Aboukhlal doubled the lead shortly after. Youssef El-Nesyri and Achraf Hakimi added two more goals in the second half, while Sudan's goal came as a consolation in the dying minutes.

What's Next for the Teams?

The Afcon qualifiers continue in September 2023, with Ivory Coast facing Zambia, Egypt taking on Malawi, and Morocco playing South Africa. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the 2024 Afcon tournament in Cameroon.