A point about the tables
The rest on Sunday including Nigeria
The first reaction from Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast), goalscorer
“It is a great pleasure for me. You know, we've been preparing for this game for a long time. The day wasn't easy, with a lot of adrenaline, not much rest. The victory is something very important for us.” Everything wasn’t perfect. All the better, I would like to say, it will allow us to remain humble and correct the mistakes we made and play a very good game against Nigeria.”
“My goal is based on a very high recovery. We knew we could hurt them in transition. We played well, I had a lot of success, it happens very quickly in the game, it allows us to find protection, but I think we have regressed a bit. We gave ourselves a little more time. But that doesn't matter. It’s better to win and try to put things right than to play well and lose in the final.”
Ivory Coast achieves its first!
Ivory Coast confirmed their status as favorites with a 2-0 win against dominant but brave Guinea-Bissau. From the 4th minute, Seko Fofana started the Elephants with an unstoppable performance.
Mama Baldé could have equalized before the break, but the goalscorer missed his duel with Fofana. After an excellent performance, Krasso took charge of the counterattack. With this success, the locals take 1st place in Group A.
Easy stop for Fofana
At about 25 meters Dalcio has space and decides to try his luck. His shot is too shattered and easy for Fofana to grab.
Pépé doesn't secure his passport
A little jump from Fofana to find Pépé, who in turn lobs a defender to find his center forward. It is less precise and a defender can cut.
Extra time:
There will be 4 additional minutes in this game.
Another change
When it comes to elephants, Sangaré gives way to Doumbia.
Happy return to school from Djù
Djù does the Djurtus good. With a good cross, the attacker controls but is caught by two defenders. Back follows Turbo and places a spinning shot next to the frame.
Correia inaccurate
After a cross from the left, Ze Turbo manages to head in in a duel with Konan. It's still not framed.
Hard blow for the Djurtus
As expected, the injured Baldé Dalcio leaves.
Mama Baldé injured
For Mama Baldé, who is calling for changes locally, it seems to be over. Big blow for Guinea-Bissau.
Elephants little worried
The Ivorians maintain possession of the ball, despite the good will of their opponent, who is always present to press. No success at the moment T.
Change in elephants
Diomandé is replaced by Boly.
The Ivory Coast counter!
Côté d'Ivoire counters and Konaté throws Kessié to the right. The latter wants to give something back to his friend who was present in the axis, but Djoco's foot sends the ball to the corner.
New change
Rodrigues will be replaced by Ze Turbo.
The Fofana Parade!
Finally a chance for Guinea-Bissau! Mama Baldé recovers high and switches to the left for Djù. In the final meters, number 3 places a powerful left-foot shot that is pushed back by Fofana.
Already blocked
Concentrated, Djù tries to make the difference on his own, but gets a little lost in his dribbling and loses the ball. Guinea-Bissau has difficulty putting their strong opponents in trouble.
Another offensive by the locals
Excellent work from Bamba, who manages to throw Konaté into the penalty area despite the pressure. It's long and Djalo uses his body to destabilize the attacker.
Changes in Guinea-Bissau
Cassama and Mané are replaced by Gomes and Dju.
Unstoppable elephants
Guinea-Bissau is under pressure defensively. The Elephants have the monopoly on the ball and Fofana enjoys the midfield.
Djoco ensures safety in the air
Boga fires up the left flank and places a cross that is cleared by Djalo's chest. Several Ivorians are lurking, but Djoco punches the ball into the air.
Ivory Coast on the way to success?
On the hour mark, Ivory Coast took a big step towards their first success. Guinea-Bissau must do much more to trouble Y. Fofana and reduce the score.
Double change for the Ivorians
Bamba and Krasso are replaced by Pepé and Konaté.
GREAT FOR THE BREAK
What an action by Krasso! After tremendous work from Bamba on the left, Krasso took advantage of a poor free kick from Sanganté to control it perfectly and almost put a volley on the ground that Djoco was unable to keep out. 2-0!
Boga countered
Full axis and at the entrance to the penalty area, Boga sees his left shot blocked. The corner goes into Djoco's gloves. There was a bug with Cassama anyway.
Mané is to blame
Now it's Ivory Coast's turn to put their foot on the ball. Ndicka was behind and was attacked by Mané. The error is whistled.
Bloody doesn't fit
Corner right for Guinea-Bissau. Mané finds Sanganté, who crosses his header at the near post. The frame is not found.
Candé tries his luck
Nice combination on the right between Encada, Rodrigues and Baldé. The next cross is cleared by Konan, but Candé fends off the goal and places a long-range shot wide of the goal.
Terrific good work
With his back to the goal, Krasso is served by Kessié and manages to turn well to get past two defenders. When taking a shot, the goalscorer is (legally) jostled by the rebound of a defender.
Singo replaced
The Ivorians made a change at halftime. Aurier replaces Singo.
The game continues!
It starts again with the opening game of CAN 2024! Thanks to a gem from Fofana, Côte d'Ivoire is ahead.
Ivory Coast is ahead at halftime
The Elephants quickly confirmed their status as favorites by scoring a goal in the 4th minute through Seko Fofana. Guinea-Bissau gradually gained self-confidence and even came close to equalizing thanks to Mama Baldé, who missed her duel with the goalkeeper.
Before the break, Seko Fofana could have made it without an incredible save from Djoco, who deflected the shot towards his crossbar.
The elephants play in the back
New corner for Ivory Coast on the left. Finally the game is played from the back, all the way to the Fofana goalkeeper. There shouldn't be any other option.
Yellow for Sangaré
It's Sangaré's turn and receives a yellow card after letting his elbow drag on Baldé's head.
Extra time:
In this first act it will be 4 minutes longer.
Cassama sanctioned
Baldé is found near the surface by Semedo and takes advantage of Diomandé's hesitation to recover, but Singo saves the furniture. Cassama receives a yellow card for a foul on Kessié.
Ivory Coast demands the penalty!
The Elephants quickly counterattack and Bamba is shot down the right side. His cross is for Krasso, who collapses at the return of Djalo. No penalty according to the referee.
Krasso puts pressure on!
The elephants are waking up! Shot to the left, Krasso eliminates his opponent and then follows up with a right shot that is blocked for a corner. This one gives nothing.
The bar for Fofana!
Fofana very close to the double! After Bamba's acceleration, Kessié finds Fofana behind the full axis, who places a new rocket from the right, which Djoco deflects onto his crossbar with the tips of his gloves!
Semedo shoots his shot
Shifted slightly to the left, Semedo arms his left foot to deliver a heavy blow like Fofana. The attempt is unsuccessful, but the Djurtus are confident.
Ndicka sanctioned
Ndicka receives a yellow card for his big tackle on Rodrigues on this occasion.
Baldé's chance!
What an opportunity for Guinea-Bissau! Rodrigues recovers high and launches Baldé, who goes forward but blows his right shot too much for Fofana to intercept. Note that Diomandé also slows down the race.
Less good for the elephants?
The Elephants' inaccuracies multiply and it's Konan who misses a forward pass. Time passes and Guinea-Bissau gets better and better at circulating the ball.
Singo's failure
Oh, the poor play from Singo on his right, pushing his ball too far and allowing the goal kick. Aside from Fofana's goal, the Elephants aren't causing Djoco much concern.
Bald head too short
With a single pass, Sanganté breaks through the entire Elephants midfield and Baldé goes deep. Between two defenders, the Lyon player sees the ball land in Fofana's gloves.
Shock between Cassama and Bamba
After a head-to-head duel between Cassama and Bamba, the trainers arrive. A priori nothing serious for the two players.
Bogas acceleration!
Boga strikes at high speed and eliminates Candé. His central defender is for Krasso. The latter cannot properly arm the upswing and concedes the goal kick.
Baldé wanted, but…
Guinea-Bissau works on the left, especially with its captain Semedo, who wants to find Baldé in the penalty area. His pass goes over the goalscorer and into Fofana's gloves. The Lyonnais is rarely found.
Blatantly offside
Great chance for the locals with a long ball from Kessié, which is sent to Krasso in the penalty area. The goalscorer's recovery flies by. The former Green was offside.
Solid Ndicka
After a good ball release, Rodrigues finds himself on the right side and wants to follow up with a cross. Ndicka intervenes and calms down. Look out for Guinea-Bissau, which is dominated but has room.
The elephants attack on the left
This time Encada manages to hold his own against Konan, who tried to get past him. The elephants are pushing hard to the left.
Djoco calms down
Served by Bamba on the right, Krasso continues with a low cross that Djoco intercepts at the near post. Boga lurked nearby. There is movement in this match.
Baldé's gesture!
Candé accelerates to the left and places a good cross for Baldé, who attempts the acrobatic return. The gesture is missed and Rodrigues cannot follow the action. Y. Fofana can catch the ball.
The Djurtus fight
Encada, for his part, gets pushed around a lot. The host country retains its position for the time being. Guinea-Bissau is struggling to leave its camp.
FOFANA ALREADY MARKS!
The elephants are already noticeable! Fofana takes advantage of a poor defense recovery, is served and advances into the penalty area. In a hurry, the midfielder launches a powerful right-footed shot that Djoco falls short of. 1-0!
Guinea-Bissau under pressure
The Ivorians push to the left and Encada quickly clears for a corner. This is returned by goalkeeper Djoco's point.
Ivory Coast is turning
The Elephants are already applying pressure in midfield to win the ball back. The locals start with the possession phase and are in no hurry.
Start of CAN 2024!
Referee Amin Mohamed Omar whistles the start of this first game of CAN 2024. Kick-off for Guinea-Bissau.
Time for anthems!
Before kick-off, time for the anthems of the two selections. We start with that of Guinea-Bissau!
Kick-off is imminent
The opening game of this CAN 2024 will begin in a few moments. Players from Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau enter the pitch at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
The Djurtus know how to surprise the favorites
In the groups, Guinea-Bissau finished 2nd behind Nigeria. Despite a setback against Osimhen's selection, Baldé's teammates managed the feat of beating them for the first time (0-1). Proof that this selection should not be underestimated.
Guinea-Bissau as a surprise?
On paper, Guinea-Bissau is not the favorite, but can still count on some valuable elements such as Mama Baldé (OL) and Fali Candé (Metz). At the last CAN, Guinea-Bissau was unable to get past the strong group consisting of Nigeria and Egypt in particular and ended up in the sad last place without a win.
Make Ivory Coast better than 2022
On paper, Côte d'Ivoire is one of the favorites to win the final and has won the competition twice (1992, 2015). In the last edition in 2022, the Elephants lost to Egypt in the round of 16. In a game where the result was decided on penalties, Salah's gang defeated the host country of this CAN 2024.
Gianni Infantino is present
The FIFA President traveled to the start of the 34th edition of the CAN.
The CAN can be tracked via RMC digital radio
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Favorite elephant at home?
CAN's host country, Ivory Coast, has a very interesting breeding ground with several well-known names in Europe such as Aurier, Seko Fofana, Haller and Kessié, to name just a few.
During qualification, the Elephants finished 2nd in Group H, level on points with Zambia. In fact, their only setback was against the leader of that group. Before this opening game, Côte d'Ivoire gained confidence with this big 5-1 win against Sierra Leone. Boga, Samba and Kessié are among the scorers.
The Elephants' lineup with Seko Fofana
We find in particular the Niçois Jérémie Boga or the Monegasque Wilfried Singo
Y. Fofana – Konan, Diomandé, Singo, Ndicka – Kessié, S. Fofana, I. Sangaré – Bamba, Krasso, Boga
Substitutes: Seri, Kossounou, Konaté, Boly, Diakité, Gradel, Aurier, Pépé, Kouamé, B. Sangaré, Doumbia, Diallo.
The Guinea-Bissau team
The owner is Lyonnais Mama Baldé
Djoco – Encada, Sangante, Djalo, Cande – Bikel, Cassama, Semedo – Rodrigues, Mane, Baldé.
Records, charts, stars… Everything you need to know about CAN
The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11. Although many Ligue 1 players are taking part, the competition sometimes still seems quite distant for the French public. RMC Sport is offering a major catch-up session to best follow the continental tournament.
>> Everything you need to know about CAN
Didier Drogba is celebrated by Ivorian fans
Less than two hours before kick-off, the stadium is already full and the atmosphere is rising, especially when legend Didier Drogba is there.
The incredible rush at 5 p.m. before kick-off
A few hours before the CAN begins at 9 p.m. with the poster between Ivory Coast, the host country of the competition, and Guinea-Bissau, there is already madness in Abidjan. Thousands of Elephants fans flock to the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in a festive atmosphere.
What you need to know before starting CAN
The favorites, the players to follow, we'll tell you everything
RMC, official radio of the Africa Cup of Nations
Exceptional device on RMC and RMC Sport for CAN 2024.
>>> Digital radio “RMC 100% CAN”
Accessible via the RMC app and website, broadcasting 24/7 from January 13 (6:00 p.m.) to February 12 (6:00 p.m.):
– all 52 CAN games live and in full length (using the Inter signal)
– 2 debate broadcasts (without the need for an inter signal):
>>> “Génération Africa 2024”: 8 p.m./9 p.m. only on game evenings (21 dates), which will be broadcast simultaneously on the RMC Sport YouTube channel
>>> “After CAN”: 12:00 p.m./1:30 p.m., rescheduled broadcast each night of the competition (30 dates), broadcast simultaneously on RMC and the After Foot YouTube channel
Hello everyone and welcome to RMC Sport for the Ivory Coast-Guinea-Bissau game
It's the big start of the Africa Cup of Nations: This Saturday, Ivory Coast – host country of the competition – will face Guinea-Bissau in the opening game. The meeting will take place in Abidjan at 9 p.m.
The elephants present themselves with the name favorites such as Morocco or Senegal. The Ivorians are aiming for a third coronation after 1992 and 2015.
Ivory Coast – Guinea-Bissau, opening match of the CAN, televised by BeIN Sports 1. Follow on the radio on RMC, but also on the RMC Sport website and app.