Gabon completed their Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaign with a final Group F match against defending champions Côte d’Ivoire at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, where the Elephants staged a late comeback to win 3-2 and secure first place in the group.
Gabon had already been eliminated from the competition, while Côte d’Ivoire needed victory to finish top heading into the knockout stages. This was the first time the nations had met at an AFCON finals.
Gabon made the perfect start in the 10th minute, scoring against the run of play. After Côte d’Ivoire had applied early pressure, Gabon broke forward through Denis Bouanga, who held up possession and fed Guelor Kanga. His pass released Averlant, whose shot was parried by goalkeeper Alban Lafont, but the rebound fell kindly to Kanga to slot home from close range.
Just 11 minutes later, Gabon doubled their advantage with another swift counterattack. Poko’s cross deflected into the path of Bouanga, who produced a composed first-time finish into the far corner to stun the Ivorian defence and silence the home supporters.
Côte d’Ivoire eventually responded in the 43rd minute, finally finding a way through the Gabon back line. Jean Michaël Seri threaded a pinpoint ball into the left channel for Wilfried Zaha, who unselfishly squared the ball across goal for Jean-Philippe Krasso to tap in from close range. The goal restored belief in the Ivorian team just before the interval.
Early in the second half, Gabon missed a huge chance to restore their two-goal cushion when Bouanga cut the ball back to N’Della in the box, but he fired over from a promising position. Côte d’Ivoire gradually built momentum as the half progressed, pushing Gabon deeper and deeper.
Their pressure was rewarded in the 84th minute when Evann Guessand rose highest at the back post to head in off the upright from a corner and level the match at 2-2. With Gabon tiring, the Elephants sensed the opportunity to complete the turnaround.
As the match entered stoppage time, the decisive moment arrived. A cross from the left found Bazoumana Touré, who guided a precise header across the goalkeeper and into the far corner to score his first international goal and seal a dramatic comeback victory for Côte d’Ivoire. Gabon pushed forward desperately in search of an equaliser, and although Côte d’Ivoire briefly thought they had added a fourth on the counterattack, the effort was ruled out for offside after VAR intervention.
The match finished 3-2, with Côte d’Ivoire securing top spot in Group F thanks to their superior goal difference over Cameroon. The defending champions will now face Burkina Faso in the round of 16 on January 6, 2026.
Before this encounter, the two teams had met 18 times across all competitions. Côte d’Ivoire held the advantage with 10 wins, while Gabon had recorded four victories, with the remaining four matches ending in draws.
