By Amaechi Agbo
Côte d’Ivoire made a powerful return to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso in their Group B opener at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Monday night.
The Lady Elephants, playing at the continental finals for the first time in 12 years, produced a dominant first-half display to take control of the West African derby before seeing out the win after the break.
Rebecca Elloh opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Ines Konan struck twice, with Rosemonde Kouassi and Nsira Ouedraogo providing the assists.
Burkina Faso briefly threatened a response early in the second half through Adama Congo, who finished after being set up by Balkissa Sawadogo, but Côte d’Ivoire restored their three-goal cushion through Ouedraogo to seal an impressive opening win.
The result gives Reynald Pedros’ side the perfect start in Group B after Tanzania had earlier stunned defending champions South Africa with a 2-1 victory.
Côte d’Ivoire entered the match with high expectations after a long absence from the TotalEnergies WAFCON stage, and they quickly showed their intent.
Elloh, one of the few players in the squad with previous WAFCON experience, gave the Ivorians the lead in the seventh minute from the penalty spot.
The early goal settled Côte d’Ivoire and allowed them to impose their rhythm on the game.
They doubled their advantage in the 14th minute when Konan finished after good work from Kouassi, giving Burkina Faso a difficult mountain to climb.
Konan struck again in the 23rd minute, this time from an Ouedraogo assist, as Côte d’Ivoire raced into a 3-0 half-time lead.
It was a clinical first-half performance from the Lady Elephants, who combined pace, sharp movement and direct attacking play to punish their neighbours.
Burkina Faso, appearing in only their second TotalEnergies WAFCON tournament, needed a strong reaction after the interval.
They found one almost immediately, with Congo reducing the deficit in the 46th minute after being assisted by Sawadogo.
The goal gave the Lady Stallions brief hope and reflected the confidence head coach Issa Balbone had spoken about before the match.
Burkina Faso had arrived determined to move beyond the underdog label and show they could compete with higher-ranked opposition.
In the 56th minute, Ouedraogo scored Côte d’Ivoire’s fourth goal to end any serious hope of a comeback and complete a strong all-round display.
The victory will please Pedros, who had said before the tournament that Côte d’Ivoire wanted to give everything and leave Morocco with no regrets.
His side looked prepared, confident and physically ready after arriving early in Morocco for their training camp.
The blend of experience and younger energy was clear, with Elloh providing composure, Konan delivering goals and Ouedraogo contributing both a goal and an assist.
Captain Bernadette Amani Kakounan had spoken before the match about the emotion of hearing the national anthem again at WAFCON, and the Lady Elephants backed that emotion with a performance full of purpose.
For Burkina Faso, the defeat is painful, but their early second-half goal showed some fight in a match that had threatened to run away from them before half-time.
Côte d’Ivoire’s win is especially important because of Tanzania’s earlier shock victory over South Africa.
Group B has already taken an unexpected shape, and the Lady Elephants will know that a strong start could be decisive in the race for the quarter-finals.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the knockout stage, and Côte d’Ivoire have immediately placed themselves in a strong position.
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