Hosts Cote d’Ivoire Elephants were soundly beaten by Equatorial Guinea with a 4-0 thumping in their last group A match of the African Cup of Nations.
Cote d’Ivoire are now faced with an early exit from the tournament, if other group results do not favour them for the round of 16 qualifying teams. Four best third-placed teams will join the first and second place finishers across the six groups.
Emilio Nsue spear-headed the torment of the Ivoriens scoring a brace to bring his goals tally in the tournament to five so far. The Elephants went a goal down Nsue scored his first goal in the 42nd minute, but it was hard luck for Ibrahim Sangare who had two goals disallowed, denying the Elephants to bring themselves back in the game.
Equatorial Guinea doubled their lead in the 73rd minute with Pablo Ganet’s free-kick from 25 yards out, Nsue had his second goal in the 75th minute before Yannick Buyla hammering the final goal to consign the Elephants to their worst AFCON defeat. Equatorial Guinea surprisingly now top group A with. In their first game, they handed Guinea Bissau a 3-0 thrashing, with a hattrick by Nsue.
Some Ivorian players were in tears at the final whistle as they were loudly booed off by an angry partisan crowd at Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
