Ivory Coast 1-1 Cameroon: Amad Diallo on target again as heavyweight AFCON showdown ends all square | OneFootball

Heavyweight AFCON clash lives up to all the pre-match hype as points are shared in

Ivory Coast and Cameroon were forced to settle for a share of the points in their Africa Cup of Nations showdown on Sunday.

An entertaining clash between the two heavyweights was promised ahead of kick-off and the game certainly lived up to the hype, even if the first half ended goalless.

Christian Kofane, on his debut for Cameroon, came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes as his effort from close range smacked against the crossbar.

Then followed a crazy ten minute spell at the start of the second half. Firstly, Ivory Coast had a goal disallowed as Franck Kessie’s celebrations for a wonderful turn and finish inside the area were cut short after being flagged offside.

Either side of the disallowed goal, the Indomitable Lions twice went close through Danny Namaso. The Auxerre attacking midfielder saw an effort from close range turned behind for a corner and then had a deflected effort hit the bar.

Manchester United winger Amad Diallo did open the scoring with a fine curling effort - bringing up his second goal is as many games - but the lead lasted all of five minutes with Junior Tchamadeu equalising with a deflected effort which has since credited as a Ghislain Konan own goal.

Neither side could find a winner in a result that suits both. Though Mozambique’s win over Gabon sets up a three-way battle for a top-two finish in the final round of group games.

Special guest: Zinedine Zidane

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Earlier in the day, Zinedine Zidane watched on again as Riyad Mahrez helped Algeria secure their place in the last-16 with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso.

The 34-year-old Mahrez took his tally to three goals in two games with a penalty in the 23rd minute.

Despite the loss, Burkina Faso stay second in Group E on three points, ahead of Sudan by virtue of a superior goal difference, though the Falcons revived their chances of progression with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca.

Les Etalons and Sudan face off in the final group game next week where the latter must win in order to advance to the knockout stage. That said, a draw could be enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.