AFCON 2025: Ivory Coast comes from behind to beat Gabon, leading group ahead of Cameroon

Bazoumana Toure scored in stoppage time as defending champions Ivory Coast recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Gabon 3-2 on Wednesday in the Africa Cup of Nations, which now enters the knockout stages.

Christopher Opéri crossed for Touré to head in the winner as Les Éléphants staged a dramatic comeback to finish top of Group F, just ahead of Cameroon, thanks to a goal more than the Indomitable Lions.

Opéri had also set up Evann Guessand for the equalizer in the 84th minute. Both late scorers were substitutes, as coach Emerse Faé was forced to make changes to counter Gabon’s early dominance.

The Panthers raced into the lead with goals from Guélor Kanga and Denis Bouanga, before Jean-Philippe Krasso pulled one back at the end of the first half.

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“We wanted this first place and we had to work for that in the second half,” said Faé.

Five-time winners Cameroon also came from behind to beat Mozambique 2-1 in the other group match.

Both Ivory Coast and Cameroon finished with seven points each, with a goal difference of plus 2, but Ivory Coast scored five goals, compared to Cameroon’s four.

Mozambique also advanced to the last 16 as one of the top four third places.

Gabon was already eliminated after a start with two defeats.

Ivory Coast will remain in Marrakech after winning the group and will face Burkina Faso in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Cameroon faced a tough encounter against South Africa in Rabat on Sunday, and Mozambique will play Nigeria in Fez the next day.

In other confirmed matches, 2021 champions Senegal will play Sudan in Tangier on Saturday, before Tunisia play Mali in Casablanca.

Host country Morocco will play against Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday and seven-time champion Egypt will play against Benin in Agadir on Monday.

Algeria and Congo will also meet in Rabat on Tuesday.

Despite losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in the final group match, Sudan could look forward to the knockout stages after qualifying as one of the top third places.

Both teams were assured of passage in Group E on Wednesday as Sudan made progress despite the complication of playing all its qualifiers away from home as the country grapples with a brutal war and humanitarian crisis.

“This is good for all Sudanese,” said Sudan coach James Appiah.

Burkina Faso made a better start and the Stallions deservedly took the lead through Lassina Traoré in the 16th.

Sudan had a great opportunity to level when Burkinabe ‘keeper Hervé Koffi bundled over Al Gozoli Nooh in the penalty area, but Nooh missed the resulting penalty.

The Sudanese fans, who were in the majority at the Stade Mohammed V stadium, tried to rally the team. Yasir Mozamil went just wide and Amar Abdallah missed another good chance for Sudan.

Arsène Kouassi sealed the Stallions’ victory with a late goal as Burkina Faso finished second in the group.

Algeria, which was already assured of the top spot in the group, signed off with a 3-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea before the last-16 meeting with Congo, which ended with three defeats.

Zineddine Belaid, Fares Chaibi and Ibrahim Maza scored for Algeria in the first half.

Veteran striker Emilio Nsue – playing legally for the first time in the African Cup of Nations – scored a brilliant second-half consolation for the National Thunder. The 36-year-old Nsue was the top scorer in the last edition, but FIFA ruled in 2024 that he was never eligible in the eleven years he played for Equatorial Guinea. In March this year he was finally cleared to play.

Published on January 1, 2026