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Diallo and Mahrez strike at AFCON as Ivory Coast, Algeria win | The Express Tribune
The three-time champions dominated against opponents 60 places lower in the world rankings
RABAT:
Amad Diallo and Riyad Mahrez starred as defending champions Ivory Coast and former winners Algeria had contrasting victories on Wednesday when the first round of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group matches concluded in Morocco.
Manchester United winger Diallo struck early in the second half with a close-range shot to give the Ivorians a hard-earned 1-0 Group F victory over Mozambique in wet Marrakesh.
Earlier, Algeria cruised to a 3-0 Group E win over 10-man Sudan in Rabat with another winger, former Manchester City star Mahrez, becoming the third player to bag a brace at the tournament.
Elsewhere, an early Karl Etta Eyong goal gave Cameroon a tense 1-0 win over Gabon in Agadir and Burkina Faso scored twice deep in added time to beat Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in Casablanca.
Ivory Coast, who face Cameroon and Gabon in their remaining group matches, are aiming to become the first nation since Egypt in 2010 to successfully defend the premier African football title.
Defeat prolonged the Mozambican pursuit of an AFCON victory — they have drawn four matches and lost 12 since their 1986 debut.
Winger Elias ‘Domingues’ Pelembe came off the Mozambique bench on 67 minutes at the age of 42, making him the second oldest player to compete at an AFCON after 44-year-old Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.
Diallo ended the brave, well-organised resistance of the Mozambicans early in the second half, firing past Siluane from inside the box after a cross was headed into his path.
Cameroon needed only six minutes to score the lone goal of a fiery central African showdown with Gabon as Etta Eyoug slammed the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba.
Captain Mahrez scored in each half as 2019 champions Algeria eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan.
Mahrez got the opener after just 82 seconds to the delight of the Algerian fans who made up the vast majority of the 16,115 crowd at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
Now with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Mahrez got his and his team’s second goal just after the hour mark and Ibrahim Maza wrapped up the win late on as Algeria started in the best possible fashion.
Zidane watches son
Among the spectators in the Moroccan capital was France legend Zinedine Zidane, whose parents came from Algeria and whose son Luca was starting in goal for the Desert Foxes.
His appearance on big screens in the ground drew huge cheers from Algerian supporters who will have been delighted to see their team produce a convincing performance.
Algeria were eliminated in the first round without a win at each of the last two AFCON tournaments but wasted no time in breaking the deadlock against the group outsiders.
The match was little over a minute old when Mohamed Amoura’s ball across the penalty box was met by a back-heel from Hicham Boudaoui to tee up Mahrez. He took a touch before firing in.
Zidane then did well to save at the feet of Sudan’s Yaser Awad Boshara but Algeria were by far the better side.
Sudan’s chances of getting back into the game were then severely dented when Salaheldin Adil was sent off six minutes before the interval for a second booking for chopping down Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Ramy Bensebaini had a goal disallowed for offside moments later but Mahrez made it 2-0 on 61 minutes as he connected with a lovely outside-of-the-boot assist from Amoura.
Mahrez, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has eight goals at the tournament. He came off to an ovation from the Algerian fans late on.
Substitute Maza, of Bayer Leverkusen, finished from Baghdad Bounedjah’s knockdown with five minutes left to score Algeria’s 100th AFCON goal and make it 3-0.
Sudan have now won just once in 17 Cup of Nations matches since lifting the trophy in 1970.
Earlier in the same group, Burkina Faso came from behind to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 thanks to two goals deep in injury time.
Basilio Ndong was sent off just after half-time for Equatorial Guinea but they looked set to win the game when substitute Marvin Anieboh headed in on 85 minutes.
However, Georgi Minoungou equalised in the fifth added minute before Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba grabbed a dramatic 98th-minute winner.
The “Quadg0d” struggled in his first Olympic skate, but his best events are still to come, and there’s no reason to panic.
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Lindsey Vonn was the 13th skier to hit the slopes in the alpine ski women’s downhill at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday and her dreams of powering through a devastating knee injury to make the medal podium came to a crashing halt.
Vonn was entering the first sector when she fell hard onto the slopes. The crowd gasped as they came to terms with the wipeout. She writhed in pain as medical professionals came to check on her. A helicopter came to get Vonn off the mountain.
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United States’ Lindsey Vonn concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, women’s downhill official training, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
The Olympic legend was attempting to medal in the event despite a devastating knee injury she suffered while at the World Cup. She made clear in subsequent social media posts that her ACL was “100% gone.”
An ACL tear normally involves a recovery that lasts about a year, but Vonn planned to fight through it.
TEAM USA WOMEN’S HOCKEY POWERS PAST FINLAND AT MILAN CORTINA GAMES, TIES OLYMPIC RECORD
United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Spectators react after United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashed during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Spectators stunned after United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashed during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States fans react following United States’ Lindsey Vonn’s crashed during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)
She made a stunning comeback to the sport last year after nearly six years away from competition. Her return followed a partial titanium replacement inserted into her right knee, which she had in 2024.
The Team USA legend is the second-most successful woman in World Cup history with 84 wins. She has won eight World Championship medals.
Vonn won a gold medal in the downhill and a bronze medal in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games. She will look to add to her collection in Italy.
United States’ Lindsey Vonn is helicoptered off after crashing, during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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She was set to compete in the women’s super-G as well, but the crash may very well keep her out of that event.
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- BCB president to attend ICC’s meeting: sources.
- Other board members likely to also attend emergency meeting.
- Aminul Islam to also meet PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
LAHORE: In the aftermath of Pakistan’s announcement to boycott its T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has arrived in Pakistan, sources said on Sunday.
During his stay in Pakistan, the BCB chief, sources added, will attend the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) emergency meeting later today, with other board members also expected to participate.
Islam will also meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi before departing for Dhaka, the sources said.
Meanwhile, an ICC delegation led by its deputy chairman is also due to reach Pakistan at 4:30pm, to discuss the situation arising after Pakistan’s boycott of India match.
The development comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s decision to boycott its World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15, amid what the PCB has described as the ICC’s biased approach, with Bangladesh playing a central role in the dispute.
Tensions flared between the cricket boards of Bangladesh and India after Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the directions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), sparking outrage in Dhaka.
Later, the BCB requested the ICC to shift its matches outside India, but the international cricket body rejected the plea. Following the BCB’s firm stance, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the event.
Furthermore, the PCB has dismissed reports by Indian media claiming that it had offered dialogue to the ICC to resolve the issue surrounding its decision to forfeit the India match.
PCB spokesperson Amir Mir issued the rebuttal after Indian journalist Vikrant Gupta claimed that the PCB had reached out to the ICC for dialogue on the India-Pakistan World Cup game.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative fixtures in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsorship and advertising revenue.
In commercial terms, the overall value of a single India-Pakistan T20 match is estimated at around $500 million, or approximately INR45,000 crore, when broadcast rights, advertising premiums, sponsorship activations, ticket sales and downstream commercial activity are taken into account.
According to a report, advertising slots during an India-Pakistan T20 match command between INR25 lakh and INR40 lakh for a 10-second spot, significantly higher than even knockout matches involving India against other top teams.
The most immediate financial impact would be felt by the official broadcast rights holder, as advertising revenue from the India-Pakistan match alone is estimated at around INR300 crore, the Indian publication cited industry projections as suggesting.
The BCB chief’s reported arrival in Pakistan is also being viewed in the context of earlier Indian media reports claiming that the ICC was seeking back-channel talks with the PCB and had tasked its deputy chairman Imran Khwaja, to engage with the Pakistani board on the issue.
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