September 09, (THEWILL) – The Ivory Coast senior men’s national team defeated Lesotho 1-0 on Saturday, in their final Africa Cup of Nations qualification match played at Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro.
The result was not crucial for Ivory Coast, who had already secured qualification as hosts and Group H runners-up. However, they still produced a solid performance to claim all three points. Ibrahim Sangare scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute, finishing low into the net after good work from Sebastien Haller.
Ivory Coast controlled the match from the early stages and created multiple chances. They should have extended their lead in the first half, but were denied by some wayward finishing and good goalkeeping from Sekhoane Moerane.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Ivory Coast still dominating as Lesotho struggled to create opportunities for an equaliser that failed to materialise. Instead, Simon Adingra went close to adding a second for the hosts, but saw his goal-bound header cleared off the line.
In the end, Ivory Coast were comfortable 1-0 winners to end their qualification campaign on a positive note. Lesotho finished bottom of Group H after taking just one point from their six games.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
