Herve Renard leads Cote d’Ivoire to victory over Ghana

Herve Renard celebrated a successful return to the Cote d’Ivoire bench as his team defeated Ghana 2-0 in their opening AFCON 2027 qualifying match on Thursday.

The French coach, who previously guided the Elephants to an African title, saw his side make a confident start. Cote d’Ivoire created the clearer opportunities during an energetic first half, with Nicolas Pepe and Ange-Yoan Bonny both testing Ghana’s defence.

The breakthrough arrived in the 43rd minute. Franck Kessié provided the assist, allowing Malick Yalcouyé to finish and send the hosts into the interval with a deserved advantage.

Cote d’Ivoire continued to control the match after the restart. Their pressure produced a second goal in the 57th minute, when Kessie calmly converted from the penalty spot after Yalcouyé had been fouled inside the area.

Ghana tried to respond through substitutions and came close on several occasions. Caleb Yirenkyi’s effort was saved, while Benjamin Tetteh also saw a header denied. Côte d’Ivoire goalkeeper Yahia Fofana remained composed, helping his team secure a clean sheet.

The result gives Renard an ideal start to his second spell in charge and places Cote d’Ivoire in a strong position after the first round of qualifying.