Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire – Hosts Cote d'Ivoire won their Africa Cup of Nations opener against Guinea Bissau on Saturday 2-0, kicking off a post-victory party in the streets of Abidjan.
When Cote d’Ivoire last hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1984, it was an eight-team affair needing only the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan’s Plateau distrIct and the Stade de Bouaké.
Fast-forward 40 years and both sites are being deployed during the latest iteration of the continent’s most prestigious football tournament, which has bulked up to 24 teams.
But the Abidjan arena – named after the founding father of Cote d’Ivoire and affectionately called Le Felicia – has lost its status as the national stadium.
That lustre belongs to the 60,000-seat extravaganza 30 kilometres to the north of the economic capital and bearing the name of incumbent president Alassane Outtara.
The man himself was revelling in the 200-million-euro paean to his wondrousness flanked by Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Nana Akufo-Addo, the presidents of Guinea Bissau and Ghana respectively, as well as a couple of the world’s most powerful football administrators: Patrice Motsepe, head of the Confederation of African Football, and Gianni Infantino, who runs world football's governing body Fifa.
“Bravo to the prime minister and the government,” Outtara told the fans in the stadium. “We will be here to show the best of Africa … an Africa that works and wins. Good luck to all of the teams taking part.
“Let the party begin.”
Opening goal
Perhaps feeding off the bravura spilling over from a colourful and energetic opening ceremony, the Ivorian players followed the command.
Seko Fofana walloped the ball past the Guinea Bissau goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco in the fourth minute, to the delight of the partisans in the stadium and a watching nation.
The strike was joyously greeted in the bamboo lounge terrace at the Restaurant L’Ambassadeur, just a chunky goal kick away from Le Felicia.
But if the 150-odd fans enthralled in front of the giant TV screen believed that heralded a rout, they were soon wrenched out of that reverie.
Guinea Bissau – playing in their third Cup of Nations tournament – grew into the game and stopped the slapstick that had led to Fofana’s opener.
Grunts and groans rose into the night air as the hosts found themselves unable to impose themselves against the adversaries, who began to perform with a flair and dynamism belying their ranking of 101 in the Fifa lists.
Inaccuracy
But Baciro Candé's charges could not capitalise on their openings in the Ivorian penalty area.
Against the run of play, Fofana nearly doubled the score just before half-time with another thunderous bolt from the edge of the penalty area. This time Djoco's fingertips pushed the the piledriver onto the bar.
Jean-Philippe Krasso eventually provided relief just before the hour mark when he outmuscled Opa Sangante near the Guinea Bissau goal and acrobatically flicked the ball past Djoco into the net.
At 2-0 up, a couple of optimists started to warm up their dance moves. A few Guinea Bissau assaults on the Ivorian goal calmed them down.
Eventually, after four minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle provided the cue for the post-victory party to begin.
'Time for happiness'
"It’s always a pleasure to see people happy,” said Ayman Khalil who was watching the match with his five-months-pregnant wife Lina and their seven-year-old daughter Lamia.
As a couple of youths brushed past him to join the dancing, the 30-year-old added: “We’ve had the civil war and now it’s a time for happiness.”
Le Felicia will glow anew on Sunday when Group B gets underway, with the 2021 runners-up Egypt taking on Mozambique as well as the clash between Ghana and Cape Verde.
Cote d’Ivoire will be back in action on 18 January at the Alassane Outtara Stadium with a match against Nigeria. Success over their west African rivals will bring qualification for the last 16.
And some more partying.
