This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
On July 1, 2019, Ivory Coast secured their spot in the round of 16 at the 2019 African Cup of Nations with a 4-1 victory over Namibia in their final Group D match.
Les Elephants finished second in Group D behind leaders Morocco, who defeated South Africa 1-0 in their own final Group encounter.
Franck Kessie was instrumental in Ivory Coast's win, providing three assists throughout the match.
Deon Hotto of Namibia had the first chance in the fourth minute, but his effort was denied by Ivory Coast goalie Sylvain Gbohouo.
Ivory Coast took the lead in the 39th minute through Max-Alain Gradel, with Franck Kessie providing the assist.
They scored their second goal in the 58th minute through Geoffroy Serey, who received a superb assist from Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
Namibia responded in the 71st minute when Ivory Coast goalie Sylvain made a costly mistake, allowing Joslin Kamatuka to score.
However, Franck Kessie provided another brilliant assist for Wilfried Zaha and Maxwel Cornet to score in the 84th and 89th minutes respectively, securing Ivory Coast's 4-1 win.
Meanwhile, in the other Group D clash, Morocco edged South Africa 1-0 to finish top of the group with nine minutes remaining.
Mbark Boussoufa scored the winning goal for Morocco in the 90th minute, firing home from about 12 yards out.
South Africa now face an anxious wait to find out if they make it through to the next round as one of the best third-placed finishers.
