Ivory Coast made a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations Group F campaign after edging past Mozambique 1-0 in a tightly contested encounter at Stade de Marrakech.
The first half was cagey and physical, with both teams cancelling each other out and chances proving difficult to come by. Mozambique defended in numbers and frustrated the Ivorians, while Yahia Fofana and Ernan Siluane were rarely troubled despite several set-piece situations.
Ivory Coast emerged with greater intent after the break and finally found the breakthrough four minutes into the second half. Franck Kessie rose well to nod the ball into the path of Amad Diallo, who kept his composure to drill a low right-footed finish into the corner to give the Elephants the lead.
The goal lifted the tempo, with Ivory Coast pushing for a second through Wilfried Zaha and Vakoun Bayo, but Mozambique remained disciplined and carried a threat on the counterattack, particularly through Geny Catamo on the flank.
As the match wore on, Mozambique grew bolder and nearly snatched an equaliser in stoppage time when Catamo found space inside the box, only for Fofana to produce a sharp save and preserve Ivory Coast’s advantage.
Despite controlling possession for long spells, Ivory Coast were unable to kill the game off, leaving them to endure a nervy finish before the final whistle confirmed a valuable three points.
The result puts Ivory Coast in a strong early position in Group F, while Mozambique will take encouragement from a disciplined display that suggests they can still compete for qualification in their remaining fixtures.
