Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa reach WAFCON quarter-finals

Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa moved into the final eight at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, following respective victories over Tanzania and Burkina Faso, as reported by RFI.

The Ivorians went into Tuesday night's final round of games in Group B as pool pacesetters, and sealed the top spot with a 2-1 win. Ines Konan laid on the pass for Nsira Ouedraogo to give Cote d'Ivoire the lead just before half-time. Konan then doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. Tanzania pulled one back in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time through Diana Msewa's penalty.

As pool winners, Cote d'Ivoire will face Group A runners-up Algeria on 8 August for a place in the semi-finals.

South Africa edge past Burkina Faso

South Africa, who edged past Burkina Faso 1-0 in Casablanca, will take on the hosts Morocco. Thembi Kgatlana struck the only goal of the game midway through the first half at the Stade Moulay Rachid.

"I've got to give credit to the players," said South Africa coach Desiree Ellis after the game. "It wasn't pretty but sometimes it doesn't have to be pretty. We stuck to our task defensively and we were organised."

Burkina Faso's historic ambition

Burkina Faso head coach Pascal Sawadogo had urged his players to seize their chance to make footballing history by eliminating 2022 champions South Africa and qualifying for the knockout stages of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.

"I think we have an excellent generation of players," said Sawadogo on the eve of the clash at the Stade Moulay Rachid. "The players are here to write the history of football in Burkina Faso. That's the message they've given us. I and the rest of the coaching staff will continue pushing them so they can turn those ambitions into reality on the pitch."

Cote d'Ivoire beat Burkina Faso 4-1 in the opening game on 27 July at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca. But four days later at the same venue, Burkina Faso bounced back to beat Tanzania 2-1, in their first ever Women's Africa Cup of Nations victory.

"The players know the Burkinabé people are expecting a lot from them, and they promised to make us dream," added Sawadogo. "We've started writing our story. Now we have to finish it. But we also have to be extremely careful because South Africa have probably underperformed in their two games. They are still a team that deserves great respect."

South Africa's pedigree at stake

Elimination after the group stages would constitute a spectacular failure for South Africa. Squads from the country have reached the semi-finals at the last nine competitions, stretching back to 2004. After taking over as head coach in 2016, Desiree Ellis steered the side to their first Cup of Nations title.

Group A outcomes

Morocco advanced to the last eight as winners of Group A, after a 0-0 draw with Senegal in Rabat. Algeria advanced from Group A to the knockout stages following their 2-0 victory over Kenya at the Stade Olympique in Rabat.

World Cup qualification at stake

The four sides who reach the semi-finals also claim a berth at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, while the four losing teams will head to a play-off for two spots at an inter-confederation qualifier.

The final games in Group C take place on Wednesday. Tournament debutantes Malawi would progress with a draw against Zambia in Rabat, while defending champions Nigeria need to beat Egypt.

The WAFCON final will take place on 16 August.