Group F produced one of the tournament’s most physical encounters as Ivory Coast and Cameroon played out a 1-1 draw after a fiercely contested 90 minutes. Chances were scarce and hard-earned, and the match was decided by moments of quality and deflection rather than sustained dominance.
Ivory Coast eventually broke through six minutes after the interval when Amad Diallo curled a precise finish inside the post, marking his second goal in as many games. Cameroon responded swiftly, leveling five minutes later as Junior Tchamadeu’s effort deflected off defender Ghislain Konan and looped beyond the goalkeeper, recorded as an own goal.
Both sides pushed for a winner until the end. Cameroon came agonizingly close in stoppage time when Bryan Mbeumo struck goalward with virtually the last kick of the match, only for Odilon Kossounou to make a courageous block at close range and preserve the draw for the defending champions.
The result left both teams on four points, placing them in strong positions to qualify for the knockout phase, with the top two in each group and four of the best third-placed sides advancing.
Cameroon’s display also underlined renewed unity within the squad following recent turmoil. The team has rallied under new coach David Pagou after the dismissal of Marc Brys just weeks before the tournament, ending a public dispute involving federation president Samuel Eto’o. The players’ confident performance suggested those issues have been put aside, at least for now.
The match in Marrakech drew notable spectators, with several high-profile footballers watching from the stands, while a moment of silence was observed in memory of former Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who passed away last week.
Earlier in the day, Mozambique kept its hopes alive in the same group with a 3-2 victory over Gabon, a result that eliminated Gabon after a second consecutive defeat.
In Group E, Algeria became one of the first teams to secure progression to the last 16, edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat. Captain Riyad Mahrez continued his fine form, scoring his third goal of the tournament from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute to give the Fennec Foxes maximum points after two matches.
The win was greeted with relief by Algeria supporters, mindful of the nation’s early exits in the last two tournaments following their 2019 triumph. Young midfielder Ibrahim Maza emphasized that qualification, rather than individual accolades, remains the squad’s primary focus.
Burkina Faso stayed second in the group on three points despite the loss, while Sudan revived its chances of advancing with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca. Sudan now faces Burkina Faso in a decisive final group match, with a place in the knockout rounds on the line.