MATCH FACTS: Cote d’Ivoire and Central African Republic set for first meeting at TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON
Cote d’Ivoire and debutants Central African Republic will clash at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time when they meet in a Group D fixture at the Berrechid Municipal Stadium on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 local time / GMT.
Cote d’Ivoire are facing Central African opponents for a fifth time. Their record against teams from Central Africa reads P4 W1 D2 L1.
In 2011 they drew a group game against Congo and then lost to the same opponents in the play-off for third. In 2013 they also drew a group game against Congo 1-1, while in 2015 they registered their only win against Central African opponents in a 2-1 group stage victory over Camerron.
Cote d’Ivoire have scored in each of their four games against Central African opponents, netting six goals and conceding the same number. They are yet to keep a clean-sheet.
Cote d’Ivoire have not defeated a tournament debutant in five previous games against them (D1 L4).
COTE D’IVOIRE FACTS
· Champions in 2013, Cote d’Ivoire return for a sixth time to the finals. They first qualified in 1997 and then featured in 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2015. They have been absent for a decade.
· They were champions in 2013, third in 2005 and fourth in 2011. They were eliminated in the group stages twice, in 1997 and 2015.
· Cote d’Ivoire return to Morocco, the site of their 2013 triumph. On that occasion they began with a 0-0 draw against Congo, then defeated Nigeria 1-0 and drew with Ghana 0-0 in the group stages. They defeated hosts Morocco 2-1 in the last-4 and overcame Nigeria on penalties in the final after a 1-1 stalemate.
· The Cote d’Ivoire have conceded in their last five games at the finals. They last kept a clean-sheet in a 0-0 draw against Ghana in their final group game in 2013.
· Their loss to Mali in their final group game in 2015 is the Cote d’Ivoire’s only loss in their last eight games at the finals (W2 D5).
· Cote d’Ivoire are winless in their last four games in open play at the finals (D3 L1), though they did defeat Nigeria on penalties in the 2013 final. Their last win in open play was against Morocco in the 2013 semi-finals.
· In five previous opening fixtures at the finals, Cote d’Ivoire are yet to lose (W2 D3). Their two wins were against Zimbabwe (2-0) in 2005 and Mali in 2011 (2-1).
· Cote d’Ivoire have only failed to score in their opening game at the finals once, which was in a 0-0 draw against Mali in 1997.
· Cote d’Ivoire have twice began a tournament with a clean-sheet, when drawing 0-0 with Mali in 1997 and defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 in 2005. But they have conceded a goal in their last three opening games in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FACTS
· Central African Republic are making their tournament debut.
· They did previously qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023. Those are their only previous participations at major CAF tournaments. They reached the quarter-finals in 2023.
· Central African Republic are only the third teams from UNIFFAC along with Cameroon and Congo to reach the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON finals.
· They are the 36th different team to have qualified for the finals.
· Apart from Ghana, who won the inaugural edition in 1995, the only other debutant nation to win the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON was Egypt in 1997.
The last two tournament debutants, Tanzania in 2019 and Somalia in 2023, both failed to progress beyond the group stages