Harambee Stars went into the match basking in back-to-back wins after their qualification campaign had suffered a blow following a 3-1 defeat against Gambia on matchday seven. After the defeat to the Scorpions, Kenya recovered to hammer Seychelles 5-0 in Nairobi, before edging out Burundi 1-0 away.
The first meeting between the two sides had ended in a 0-0 draw. Kenya coach Benni McCarthy had sounded a warning to the African champions, who were yet to lose a game in the group. However, it was the Elephants who created the first chance of the game with only five minutes played.
Ivory Coast rewarded for a good start
Former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pépé played down the right before passing to Amad Diallo, who hit it first time with his left foot. However, Diallo’s effort deflected off a Kenyan defender, and with goalkeeper Bryne Omondi already beaten, defender Sylvester Owino cleared the ball over the line to keep the scores at 0-0.
Two minutes later, Ivory Coast were rewarded for their good start after they took the lead. Diallo initiated a move from the left flank before setting up Al Ahli star Franck Kessié, who came face-to-face with Omondi in Kenya’s goal, before slotting the ball to the back of the net.
Pépé almost doubled the lead in the 17th minute, but his headed effort off a cross from Evan Ndicka went inches wide. As of the 20th minute, the Ivorian’s overall dominance remained superior, with 63% possession compared to 37% for the Kenyans, who were not even able to come close to the Ivorian penalty area.
Despite Ivory Coast’s relentless attacks and two minutes of added time, Harambee Stars remained tight at the back to deny the home side an opportunity to add to their lead. Ivory Coast should have been 4-0 to the good at the half-time break.
At the start of the second half, McCarthy made a double change for Kenya, Job Ochieng and Adam Wilson replacing Alphonce Omija and Alpha Chris Onyango. Ivory Coast doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Yan Diomande scored a stunning goal. After receiving a perfect cross from Ghislain Konan, Diomande dribbled past three defenders before scoring with his right foot.
The first substitution for Ivory Coast saw Pacôme Zouzoua come on for Pépé, while midfielder Duke Abuya was introduced for Kenya striker Michael Olunga.
Diallo, who had missed two open chances in the first half, made amends in the 84th minute after he curled in a free-kick from the edge of the box to score the third of the night and end Kenya’s slim hopes of pulling a comeback.
Ivory Coast finished top with 26 points garnered from eight wins, two draws and zero defeats, while Gabon sealed the play-off slot after finishing second with 25 points. Kenya came fourth with 12 points.
Gambia conclude with huge Seychelles win
Meanwhile, in another Group F clash, Gambia finished with a 6-0 hammering of Seychelles at the National Sports Complex Pitch 1 in Mauritius. Heading into the fixture, Gambia had lost their matchday nine clash against Gabon 4-3, while Seychelles had suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat against Ivory Coast.
Abdoulie Manneh led the way for the Scorpions after he grabbed a hat-trick in the 24th, 67th and 75th minutes respectively. However, it was Adama Sidibeh who opened the floodgate of goals with only two minutes played before Manneh made it 2-0.
Sidibe slotted home his second, and the electric Musa Barrow scored twice in quick succession in the 47th and 52nd minutes. Two simple finishes from Manneh then completed his treble as Gambia strolled to their fourth win of the campaign.
The win saw Gambia reach 13 points from four wins, one draw and five defeats while Seychelles finished bottom of the six-team group without a point. The Island nation lost all 10 of their matches and conceded a whopping 53 goals in the process.
