Amad Diallo and Riyad Mahrez starred as defending champions Ivory Coast and former winners Algeria had contrasting victories on Wednesday when the first round of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group matches concluded in Morocco.
Manchester United winger Diallo struck early in the second half with a close-range shot to give the Ivorians a hard-earned 1-0 Group F victory over Mozambique in wet Marrakesh.
Earlier, Algeria cruised to a 3-0 Group E win over 10-man Sudan in Rabat with another winger, former Manchester City star Mahrez, becoming the third player to bag a brace at the tournament.
Elsewhere, an early Karl Etta Eyong goal gave Cameroon a tense 1-0 win over Gabon in Agadir and Burkina Faso scored twice deep in added time to beat Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in Casablanca. Ivory Coast, who face Cameroon and Gabon in their remaining group matches, are aiming to become the first nation since Egypt in 2010 to successfully defend the premier African football title.
Defeat prolonged the Mozambican pursuit of an AFCON victory — they have drawn four matches and lost 12 since their 1986 debut.
Winger Elias ‘Domingues’ Pelembe came off the Mozambique bench on 67 minutes at the age of 42, making him the second oldest player to compete at an AFCON after 44-year-old Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.
Diallo ended the brave, well-organised resistance of the Mozambicans early in the second half, firing past Siluane from inside the box after a cross was headed into his path.
Cameroon needed only six minutes to score the lone goal of a fiery central African showdown with Gabon as Etta Eyoug slammed the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba.
Captain Mahrez scored in each half as 2019 champions Algeria eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan.
Mahrez got the opener after just 82 seconds to the delight of the Algerian fans who made up the vast majority of the 16,115 crowd at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
Now with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Mahrez got his and his team’s second goal just after the hour mark and Ibrahim Maza wrapped up the win late on as Algeria started in the best possible fashion.
Among the spectators in the Moroccan capital was France legend Zinedine Zidane, whose parents came from Algeria and whose son Luca was starting in goal for the Desert Foxes.
His appearance on big screens in the ground drew huge cheers from Algerian supporters who will have been delighted to see their team produce a convincing performance.
Algeria were eliminated in the first round without a win at each of the last two AFCON tournaments but wasted no time in breaking the deadlock against the group outsiders. The match was little over a minute old when Mohamed Amoura’s ball across the penalty box was met by a back-heel from Hicham Boudaoui to tee up Mahrez. He took a touch before firing in.
Zidane then did well to save at the feet of Sudan’s Yaser Awad Boshara but Algeria were by far the better side.
Sudan’s chances of getting back into the game were then severely dented when Salaheldin Adil was sent off six minutes before the interval for a second booking for chopping down Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Ramy Bensebaini had a goal disallowed for offside moments later but Mahrez made it 2-0 on 61 minutes as he connected with a lovely outside-of-the-boot assist from Amoura.
Mahrez, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has eight goals at the tournament. He came off to an ovation from the Algerian fans late on.
Substitute Maza, of Bayer Leverkusen, finished from Baghdad Bounedjah’s knockdown with five minutes left to score Algeria’s 100th AFCON goal and make it 3-0.
Sudan have now won just once in 17 Cup of Nations matches since lifting the trophy in 1970.
Earlier in the same group, Burkina Faso came from behind to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 thanks to two goals deep in injury time.
Basilio Ndong was sent off just after half-time for Equatorial Guinea but they looked set to win the game when substitute Marvin Anieboh headed in on 85 minutes. However, Georgi Minoungou equalised in the fifth added minute before Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba grabbed a dramatic 98th-minute winner.