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Amad Diallo scored one goal and created another to continue his excellent form in Morocco as the defending champions Côte d’Ivoire eased past Burkina Faso 3-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations last-16 game in Marrakech on Tuesday.
Côte d’Ivoire will face the seven-time winners Egypt in a heavyweight quarter-final in Agadir on Saturday, a repeat of the 2006 decider where the north African side triumphed on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Yan Diomande and Bazoumana Touré were also on target for Emerse Faé’s team as they dominated the contest against an outgunned Burkina Faso and might have won by a greater margin but for some excellent goalkeeping from Hervé Koffi.
Diallo will go back to a new manager at Manchester United after the finals having been one of the standout players at the tournament so far with three goals and an assist, driving the Ivorians’ impressive title defence.
They took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to a superb solo effort from Diallo, who danced his way past three defenders before a fortunate deflection allowed him to lift the ball over the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net. It was 2-0 on 32 minutes and this time Diallo was the creator as his trickery on the right wing ended with a low cross that was cleverly left by Franck Kessié and the ball reached Diomande, who side-footed into the net from 18 yards.
The Burkinabé were inches away from pulling a goal back when Dango Ouattara’s shot from a tight angle hit a post, but it proved a rare bright moment. The Ivorians kept pushing forward and Touré broke free on the left-hand side of the box as full time loomed. With Koffi perhaps expecting a cross, the teenage winger instead slotted in at the near post for his second of the campaign.
The Algeria substitute Adil Boulbina slammed home a last-gasp winner a minute from the end of extra time as his side overcame the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1-0 to book a place in the quarter-finals.
Just as the game was headed to a penalty shootout, Boulbina cut in off the left wing before unleashing a dipping shot that flew in, clipping the underside of the crossbar on the way.
It was as much as the more enterprising Algeria deserved, having created more opportunities throughout the toughly contested encounter. They will now be up against Nigeria in their quarter-final tie in Marrakech on Saturday.
Algeria dominated the early stages at the Stade Moulay El Hassan as DRC adopted a cautious approach, and flying full-back Rafik Belghali caused panic when he whipped in a 21st-minute cross that the DRC captain, Chancel Mbemba, almost turned into his own net. But by the midway point of the half, DRC had forged a good chance of their own with a breakaway from Cédric Bakambu that forced a save from the Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane. The resultant corner was headed narrowly wide by Axel Tuanzebe.
Algeria’s captain, Riyad Mahrez, made relatively little contribution but, before being taken off in the 70th minute, he drove his free kick narrowly over the Congolese crossbar. His teammates, however, probed in the closing stages and saw Mohamed Amoura strike an effort from an angle straight at the Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who made another smart stop to deny Anis Hadj Moussa in the 86th minute.
Mpasi, a reserve at Ligue 1’s Le Havre, kept his side in the contest in extra time with two sharp saves from Farès Chaïbi in the final 10 minutes but there was nothing he could do to stop Boulbina’s piledriver.
