CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Ivory Coast 1 – 1 Cameroon (Final Score)
Manchester United’s Amad Diallo has scored in his last three competitive matches for Ivory Coast. [Getty Images]
Amad Diallo netted his second goal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) as reigning champions Ivory Coast played to a draw with Cameroon in a thrilling encounter between two of the tournament’s giants in Marrakech.
In a highly anticipated match featuring potential title contenders, Junior Tchamadeu equalized for Cameroon just six minutes after Amad’s stunning opening goal for the Elephants, leaving both teams at the top of Group F with a point clear of Mozambique and eliminating Gabon.
The Manchester United forward, who scored the opener in his country’s first match against Mozambique, collected a pass from Ghislain Konan on a counter-attack and expertly curled a shot from the edge of the box into the far corner of Devis Epassy’s net at the 51st minute.
This brilliant effort was part of a series of exciting moments early in the second half, following Franck Kessie’s disallowed goal and a close call for Cameroon as Danny Namaso hit the crossbar after a couple of deflections.
The first half was relatively subdued but set the stage for an intense second half, with Cameroon’s debutant Christian Kofane nearly breaking the deadlock by hitting the woodwork.
All four teams in Group F will play their final matches on Wednesday at 19:00 GMT, with Ivory Coast facing Gabon in Marrakech and Cameroon taking on Mozambique in Agadir.
Blockbuster Match Delivers
After Mozambique achieved their first-ever Afcon victory by defeating Gabon 3-2 earlier, both sides entered their clash with caution.
Ivory Coast had not scored in the first half of the finals since their tournament opener back in 2023, but coach Emerse Fae’s squad began aggressively. Amad fired over the bar early on, followed by Darlin Yongwa missing a volley at the other end.
Diallo later set up Kessie for a poor attempt, while 19-year-old Kofane nearly found success, hitting the woodwork after a well-timed low delivery.
With Real Madrid’s star Kylian Mbappe joining fellow France internationals in the crowd, another promising forward shone as Amad’s United teammate Bryan Mbeumo sent a cross that Namaso couldn’t convert under pressure.
Kessie seemed to have opened the scoring when he calmly finished a pass from Vakoun Bayo, who took the place of former England international Wilfried Zaha, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
There was barely a pause before Namaso’s shot deflected off Kessie and Odilon Kossounou, hitting the woodwork again. The anticipation for the game’s opening goal was palpable as chances flowed from both sides.
After Amad’s elegant strike, a determined Tchamadeu fired a shot that looped over the Ivorian goalkeeper, ensuring the match ended in a competitive draw and maintaining balance in their historic Afcon encounters, now tied at eight wins each from 22 matchups.
Epassy produced a fantastic save to deny Seko Fofana’s header and Mbeumo screamed a shot just wide in the closing moments, leaving both coaches optimistic about their teams’ prospects for the tournament.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba excelled in midfield for Cameroon, while Kofane made a memorable debut before being subbed for Karl Etta Eyong, the scorer in Cameroon’s previous 1-0 victory over Gabon.