West African neighbours Guinea and Ivory Coast have qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon after sharing the spoils 1-1 in match day 5 of the qualifiers on Sunday.
Both teams were already table toppers in Group H ahead of Sunday’s clash, with Central African Republic and Rwanda having a slim chance of making it out of the group.
The Elephants, who lost the first leg at home 3-2 to the Syli National of Guinea, were on a revenge mission in Conakry but couldn’t pull off a dream start. They rather conceded the first goal of the encounter delivered by Auxerre attacking midfielder Mohamed Yattara in the 11th minute.
Ivory Coast responded 10 minutes later through Fulham’s central midfielder Jean Michael Seri.
The two sides then opted for caution to avoid any havoc as the even score-line was already enough for their respective qualifications.
However, the Elephants returned from the break more determined probably with revenge still on their mind but their efforts did not pay off.
In the final matchday of the group, which will be a mere formality, Ivory Coast will host Rwanda while Guinea will travel to Central African Republic.
Interestingly, Ivory Coast will host the 2021 AFCON while the tournament will be played in Guinea in 2023.
