September 07, (THEWILL) – Ivory Coast began their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign with a 2-0 victory over Zambia at Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Friday. The reigning champions faced a tough challenge from their Group G rivals in a rematch of the 2012 AFCON final.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Ivory Coast struggled to break through Zambia’s defence. Goalkeeper Tresford Mulenga denied the hosts twice, while Zambia suffered an early setback when Edward Chilufya left the field due to injury after just 26 minutes.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 71st minute when substitute Jean-Philippe Krasso scored from Simon Adingra’s assist. Krasso doubled the lead in the 84th minute, converting a pass from fellow substitute Benie Traore to seal the win for Ivory Coast.
The victory puts Ivory Coast in a strong position in Group G. Both teams will return to action on Tuesday, with Ivory Coast playing Chad in Abidjan and Zambia hosting Sierra Leone in Ndola.
This match marked the beginning of the qualification process for the 2025 AFCON tournament. The current champions will aim to defend their title, while other nations in the group will compete for a chance to participate in the continental competition.
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.
