The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire has defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa by a goal to nil in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament courtesy a second-half strike from Aston Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia.
The two countries went head to head on Monday afternoon in a Group D encounter in the ongoing AFCON in Egypt. The match which was played at the Al Salam Stadium produced one of the most fiercely contested but entertaining fixture of the continental showdown since its commencement.
Lille attacker, Nicholas Pepe dazzled upfront for the Elephant throughout the match but a solo run around the 10th minute particularly attracted cheers from spectators who loved what they saw.
Few chances created by the two sides could not produce any goal as referee Louis Hakizimana blew his whistle for the end of the first half.
After resuming the second half, the victors edged their opponent and mostly kept them defending deep in their territory as they looked for an equalizer to hand them all three points.
They were finally rewarded on the 64th minute when Jonathan Kodjia combined beautifully with Max-Alain Gradel to score the only goal of the match.
South Africa now on the losing end tried to get back into the match but lacked the men up front to do the needed damage against a very compact defense of the Ivorians.
The match eventually ended 1-0 in favour of the Elephants who have recorded their first win against South Africa in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.
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