Hosts Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday in Abidjan defeated Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in the opening match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match was played at the 60, 000 capacity Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan.

With the win Cote D’Ivoire have temporarily shot to the top of Group A, in a dicey pool comprising Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea who square up on Sunday.

In the highly entertaining curtain raiser, Côte d’Ivoire opened scoring in the fourth minute through Seko Fofana.

Jean-Philippe Krasso then scored his team’s second goal in the 58th minute of the game.

The Ivorian squad put in a strong performance from the blast of the whistle, dominating possession against their less fancied opponent.

Following today’s game, the host country will now lock horns with Nigeria on January 18.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh