Côte d’Ivoire sealed top spot in Group B of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-1 victory over Tanzania at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Tuesday night.
Nsira Ouedraogo gave the Lady Elephants the lead shortly before half-time, finishing from an Ines Konan assist, before Konan doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.
Tanzania pulled one back deep into stoppage time through Diana Msewa’s penalty, but it came too late to prevent the Twiga Stars from exiting the competition.
The result means Côte d’Ivoire finish the group stage unbeaten with seven points from three matches, while South Africa’s 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in the other Group B fixture took Banyana Banyana into second place.
Tanzania and Burkina Faso both ended on three points, but missed out on the quarter-finals.
For Côte d’Ivoire, returning to the TotalEnergies WAFCON for the first time since 2014, it was another important statement in a tournament where they have quickly become one of the teams to watch.
- Ouedraogo strikes before half-time
Tanzania came into the match knowing victory would send them into the quarter-finals, but they were without Hasnath Ubamba, whose red card against Burkina Faso ruled her out of the decisive fixture.
The Twiga Stars had already made history earlier in the tournament by beating South Africa for their first ever TotalEnergies WAFCON victory, but Côte d’Ivoire carried the greater control in the key moments.
The first half looked set to finish goalless until the 44th minute when Ouedraogo opened the scoring.
Konan, who has been one of Côte d’Ivoire’s most influential attacking players in the group, provided the assist, and Ouedraogo finished to give Reynald Pedros’ side a crucial lead.
It was another decisive contribution from Ouedraogo, who had already been central to Côte d’Ivoire’s strong group-stage campaign.
- Konan keeps calm from the spot
Tanzania tried to respond after the break and made changes to find fresh energy, but Côte d’Ivoire remained composed.
The Lady Elephants doubled their lead in the 68th minute when Konan converted from the penalty spot.
Her goal gave Côte d’Ivoire control of the match and left Tanzania needing a major late recovery to stay alive in the competition.
The penalty also underlined Konan’s growing importance to a side that has combined attacking quality with tactical discipline since the start of the tournament.
Côte d’Ivoire had opened with a 4-1 win over Burkina Faso before drawing 2-2 with South Africa, and this victory confirmed their best group-stage campaign at the competition.
- Msewa penalty not enough for Tanzania
Tanzania did not give up and continued to push in the closing stages.
Their reward came in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Msewa scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-1.
But there was not enough time for the Twiga Stars to find an equaliser.
The late goal maintained Tanzania’s record of scoring in every match at this edition, but it was not enough to take them beyond the group stage.
Their campaign ends with pride after a first WAFCON win and improved performances, but also with frustration after missing the chance to become only the second East African side to reach the knockout stage.
- Côte d’Ivoire march into quarter-finals
Côte d’Ivoire’s win completed a strong recovery story for a team absent from the TotalEnergies WAFCON for 12 years.
The Lady Elephants finished Group B with two wins and one draw, scoring eight goals and collecting seven points.
South Africa joined them in the quarter-finals after beating Burkina Faso, while Tanzania and Burkina Faso were eliminated despite both finishing on three points.
For Côte d’Ivoire, the task now is to carry their group-stage momentum into the knockout rounds.
They have shown goals, resilience and belief, and their return to the continental stage has already become one of the important stories of the tournament.
The Lady Elephants are through as group winners — and they have done it with authority.
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