Ivory Coast will play well on the 24th CAN in its history. Thanks to Serge Aurier’s first goal scorer, then crucial passer twice, the Elephants left no chance for Niger (3-0), beaten on Friday 26 March. Before their last match in these qualifiers, Patrice Beaumelle and his men are sure to finish in one of the first two places in Group K.
The elephants will be there in the land of the Indomitable Lions. Côte d’Ivoire has its ticket to CAN 2021, scheduled from 15 January to 28 February 2022 in Cameroon. The Ivorians got their qualifiers brilliantly on Friday 26 March. They will not have to go through one last tense match on March 30 against Ethiopia. Their impeccable performance today against Niger was enough.
Aurier in all the right features
Although deprived of several important men such as Sébastien Haller, Maxwel Cornet or Gervinho, the selection led by Patrice Beaumelle did not let the excitement settle in Lomé (Togo) at Kégué Stadium, theater for this match on the fifth and penultimate day of Group K- qualifier, against Niger. After a start to the match without relief, Ivory Coast carried the blow as soon as it had the opportunity.
In a corner, the ball reached Eric Bailly, whose strike was rejected by Kassaly Daouda. But the Ivorian captain Serge Aurier followed far behind and catapulted the ball into the net (25th). Tottenham’s side then became a crucial passer for Max-Alain Gradel, alone at the far end to regain strength (34th). During the break, Ivory Coast started a good start.
No stressful final match against Ethiopia
During the second half of the year, there was no more excitement. Niger, the last in the K group, did not see the light of day. Serge Aurier then had a third chance at scoring, but a last ditch challenge made sure that he didnt. His cross found Wilfried Kanon’s winning head (60th). Nigeria has not recovered. It was not until the 78th minute to see Mena unleash his first strike without danger. Too little, far too little to hope for a better result.
With 3 points on the clock, Niger is eliminated before the last day of the qualifiers. Ivory Coast, with its 10 units, is eligible for CAN 2021. Ethiopia follows with 9 points and Madagascar is third with 7 points. But even if Ethiopia and Madagascar won their last match, the Ivorians would still be ahead of Barea thanks to their result in their direct confrontations (2-1 victory for the Elephants, then a 1-1 draw). Ivory Coast-Ethiopia on March 30 will therefore be used primarily to determine whether the Ivorians will finish first or second. Madagascar, they, are hoping for a positive result in combing the Ethiopians on the wire.
Elim Can 2022 Day 5: final result #Niger 0-3 #CivButs from Aurier, Gradel and Kanon Côte d’Ivoire leading their group by 10 points Next meeting Tuesday 30 March 2021 against Ethiopia (9 points) at 13.00 at ebimpe stadium pic. twitter.com/6pBXcraQwJ
– FIFCI (@FIFCI_tweet) March 26, 2021
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