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Brighton midfielder Malick Yalcouye marked his Ivory Coast debut with a goal as the Elephants defeated Ghana 2-0 in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Bouake on Thursday.
Yalcouye opened the scoring in the 44th minute, controlling the ball outside the box before firing a powerful effort past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
Franck Kessie doubled Ivory Coast’s advantage from the penalty spot in the 58th minute after a foul on Yalcouye inside the box.
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Ghana struggle in Bouake
The Black Stars struggled to create clear chances against an Ivory Coast side that controlled much of the contest.
Ghana were also without several key players, including Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo, who withdrew from the squad because of injury concerns.
The match brought together two experienced coaches, Hervé Renard and Carlos Queiroz.
Renard returned as Ivory Coast coach after the contract of Emerse Fae was not renewed. He previously guided the Elephants to the 2015 AFCON title.
Queiroz took charge of Ghana shortly before the 2026 World Cup after a coaching career that has included Real Madrid and two spells as an assistant to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
Zimbabwe stage late comeback
Elsewhere in the opening round of qualifiers, Zimbabwe recovered from two goals down to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2 in Group E in El Jadida, Morocco.
Sierra Leone led by two goals after 71 minutes before Zimbabwe captain Marshall Munetsi pulled one back.
Munetsi then scored again in the 89th minute to complete the comeback.
In the same group, the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in Kinshasa.
Chancel Mbemba headed the hosts into an early lead in the fourth minute before Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa added the second in the second half.
Late penalty earns Libya a point
Libya secured a 2-2 draw against Botswana in Group H after Ezoo El Mariamy converted a penalty in the sixth minute of added time in Tripoli.
Congo Brazzaville, meanwhile, began their Group G campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Namibia.
Bethuel Muzeu scored in the 47th minute to give Namibia victory in Gaborone, where the match was played because Namibia does not currently have an international-standard stadium.
The result marked a losing start to a second spell in charge of Congo Brazzaville for veteran French coach Claude Le Roy, who has coached six African national teams and featured at nine AFCON tournaments.
