Official: AFCON Quarter-Final Fixtures Confirmed

(Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Defending champions Ivory became the final team to advance to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after thrashing Burkina Faso 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Ivory Coast booked their spot in the round of 16 after topping Group F with a thrilling win over Gabon, while the Stallions overcame Sudan to seal their spot in the knockout round.

Read: Late Stunner Sends Algeria To AFCON Quarter-Finals

The Elephants got the breakthrough on 20 minutes when Amad Diallo bagged his third goal of the competition by calmly slotting past the Burkina Faso shot-stopper after an impressive solo run.

The lead was doubled in the 32nd minute as Amad turned provider and did well to pick out Yan Diomande, who made no mistake from close range and fired past goalkeeper Koffi.

Burkina Faso nearly halved the deficit five minutes before the halftime break through Dango Ouattara, who managed to carve out an opening for himself with some good skill before seeing his strike crash against the upright.

The Elephants continued to dominate in the second period as they went in search of more goals, but the Burkina Faso defenders were a lot more alert to balls flying in and around the 18-yard area in the opening 15 minutes.

Amad did go close to extending Ivory Coast’s advantage with 13 minutes left on the clock after latching onto a pass before going clear, however Koffi came to the rescue by pulling off a superb save to deny the Manchester United.

Koffi, however, was beaten for a third time on 87 minutes Bazoumana Toure rounded off scoring with a composed finish at the near post after a lung-busting run down the left flank. As a result, Ivory Coast will now meet Egypt in the quarter-final.

Quarter-Final Fixtures:

Friday:

18h00 Mali v Senegal
21h00 Cameroon v Morocco

Saturday:

18h00 Algeria v Nigeria
21h00 Egypt v Ivory Coast

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