Amad Diallo leads Ivory Coast into AFCON quarterfinals with 3–0 win over Burkina Faso

Defending champions Ivory Coast became the eighth team to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals after easing past neighbours Burkina Faso 3–0 in Marrakesh on Tuesday, with Amad Diallo delivering another AFCON masterclass.

The Elephants, crowned champions on home soil in 2024, will now face Egypt and Mohamed Salah in Agadir on Saturday. In doing so, they became the first reigning AFCON champions since 2010 to win a knockout match in their title defence.

In a report by ESPN, having scored twice during the group stage, Manchester United’s Amad once again opened the scoring, deftly lifting his finish over Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi after 20 minutes.

He then turned provider 12 minutes later, setting up wonderkid Yan Diomande to give Ivory Coast a commanding halftime lead.

Burkina Faso’s attempts to mount a comeback after the break proved futile, with substitute Bazoumana Touré rounding off the victory in the 87th minute.

Ivory Coast made a lively start, with Amad’s footwork causing early problems for Adamo Nagalo, who was booked in the fifth minute for halting a counterattack.

Minutes later, the winger forced Koffi into a save at his near post with a low effort.

The breakthrough arrived in the 20th minute when Amad wriggled past three defenders inside the box after Evan Guessand’s dogged work to regain possession, calmly lifting the ball over Koffi into the net.

VAR reviewed whether Aston Villa’s Guessand had fouled a defender in the buildup amid Burkinabe protests, but the goal was allowed to stand, giving Ivory Coast the lead in this West African derby.

Burkina Faso tried to slow the tempo after conceding, but they had no answer when an Amad run down the right overwhelmed both Nagalo and Arsène Kouassi. Diomande met his low cross with a powerful finish to make it 2–0 in the 32nd minute.

After the restart, Ivory Coast went close to adding a third when Guela Doué flicked an Amad free kick just over the bar.

Ouattara later forced a save from Yahia Fofana as Burkina Faso’s pressure increased, but it was 19-year-old Touré — introduced in the 75th minute for Diomande — who sealed the result.

The teenager burst forward from deep inside his own half on a counterattack before finishing at Koffi’s near post.

Ivory Coast now meet Egypt — who have not been eliminated at the quarterfinal stage since 2002 — in Agadir on January 10, as their title defence continues to gather momentum.

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