Neither Amad Diallo nor Yan Diomandé were present during the CAN won at home by Ivory Coast. Two years have passed, the two wingers have barely aged and the re-oxygenation of the Ivorian squad partly explains this still intact appetite of the Elephants, qualified in the quarter-finals (3-0). They clearly do not fear satiety or pressure. Diomandé said it in his own way – or that of Claude Makélélé – during the group stage, the 19-year-old dribbler “doesn’t give a damn who is in front of us, we want to win all seven matches”.
This carelessness was felt in the numerous one-on-ones that he won and in this goal, which was already the break in the 32nd minute of this round of 16 of the 2025 African Cup of Nations. The Leipzig player concluded after a service from Mancunian Diallo, 23 years old and another major asset of Émerse Faé’s troop. Burkina Faso did not exist during the first 40 minutes, buried under the attacks and the pressure of the opponents.
A lucky slalom and a clever dive from Diallo allowed Côte d’Ivoire to lead from the 20th minute, after a largely advantageous start to the game. But despite a barrage of situations for the title holders, one statistic could hurt the heads of the Stallions: two first shots on target, two goals. Success was in the Ivorian camp. Dango Ouattara’s post confirmed the trend (41st), while a Burkinabé goal at this moment in the game could have slowed down the progress of the Elephants.
Broken Curse
At the hour mark, Yahia Fofana made the necessary save against the same Ouattara to definitively extinguish the opposing attempts. The other young winger in the squad, the supersonic Bazoumana Touré, finished the job in the 87th minute after driving the ball 80m on the counter.
The Ivorians complete the unsurprising cast of the quarters. Chronologically, they are the last to reach this stage of the tournament, but on a sporting level, they form one of the most impressive collectives of this first part of the competition. Beyond the Diomandé-Diallo doublet – already three goals for the second during this CAN -, Guéla Doué, Désiré’s brother, and midfielder Christ Inao Oulaï showed themselves against the Burkinabés.
Visibly buoyed by the momentum of their home triumph two years earlier, the Elephants broke a curse that had persisted for more than fifteen years. Since Egypt in 2010, no reigning champion has managed to reach the quarter-finals of the CAN. During this edition, the Pharaohs went all the way. By chance of the final table, the Ivorians will meet Mohamed Salah and company in the quarter-finals.
