Author: Alie Bittar @bittar32

Brilliant SSC Bari's debut for attacker Yayah Kallon
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Brilliant SSC Bari’s debut for midfielder Yayah Kallon

Sierra Leone-born Yayyah Kallon, who joined Italian Serie B side SSC Bari on loan from Hellas Verona, made his debut in their 3-1 win over Ternana Calcio on Saturday.

It was the first over 60-minute action for the former Genoa player, who has been handed a lifeline to revamp his career after a long spell out. 

He was immediately selected by Bari’s coach Marino for their home tie in week twenty of the campaign.

The home side got off the mark with a 41st-minute goal from Giacomo Ricci before Yayah Kallon assisted Marco Nasti to double their lead in the 43rd minute. 

Ismail Achik replaced Kallon in the 68th minute of the match. 

Mehdi Dorval assisted by I. Achik to score Baris’s third before a consolation for the visitors through Salim Diakite in the 86th minute.

Kallon Recap before his loan move

Kallon featured for 3 minutes for parent club Hellas Verona in their 2-1 defeat to Inter last weekend after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in July 2023 before the season commenced.

The attacker was an unused substitute for the Hellas Verona as they suffered 1-0 Fiorentina in the Serie A round of sixteen.

Kallon, who scored his first goal for Genoa in a 3–2 Coppa Italia win over Perugia, joined Hellas Verona initially on loan with an option to buy.

He completed his Verona move in the summer but has yet to future for the club this season. Kallon featured in 22 games last season while on loan for The Yellow and Blues.

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Ivory Coast triumph over Guinea Bissau in AFCON opener
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ivory Coast triumph over Guinea-Bissau in AFCON opener 

Hosts Ivory Coast opened the 34th edition of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé.

Seko Fofana’s early goal was the perfect start for the Elephants in front of an exciting packed house in their Group A clash in Abidjan when he struck home from just inside the area in the fourth minute.

The Al Nassr midfielder capitalised on a loose ball outside when he unleashed a superb strike beyond goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco.

Ivory Coast’s superior talent shone through in short bursts, Fofana rattling the crossbar as goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco produced a superb fingertip stop to deny a carbon copy of the first goal.

Despite a few threats from the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau – However, the hosts doubled their advantage just before the hour mark when substitute Jean-Philippe Krasso stylishly fired home from a Jonathan Bamba assist.

It was Krasso’s goal-fine finish that put the result beyond the Djurtus as Cote d’Ivoire confidently opened the tournament with a convincing victory.

Group A continues on Sunday with Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea facing off before the Super Eagles meet Ivory Coast on Thursday in arguably the most-anticipated game of the group stage.

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Seko Fofana, who fired the hosts into the lead, was named Man of the Match
Seko Fofana, who fired the hosts into the lead, was named Man of the Match
AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast eye positive start against Guinea Bissau
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast eye positive start against Guinea Bissau

On Saturday, the Elephant of Côte d’Ivoire set their sight to kick off their 25th appearance as host of the Africa Cup of Nations in four decades on a positive footing.

Ivory Coast have been African champions twice before, most recently in 2015 with a team captained by Yaya Toure, but this time, they’ll be hoping to thrive under the pressure of playing at home.

Saturday’s encounter will be the first encounter between Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

Elephants coach Jean-Louis Gasset will rely on their star forward Sebastien Haller against minnows Guinea-Bissau at the newly-built Ebimpe Olympic Stadium at kickoff 20:00 hrs.

“We feel the expectation every day but we just need to live with it,” Elephants coach Jean-Louis Gasset, the 70-year-old Frenchman, told reporters in the country’s economic capital Abidjan on Friday.

“My job is to transform the pressure into something positive, to make sure that gives the players strength and confidence.”

The Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau are ready for their fourth continental showpiece after making their debut in 2017, six years as they finished bottom of their group in each of their three previous participations, with a total of three draws and six defeats.

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Terem Moffi replaces Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Terem Moffi replaces Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface

Ligue 1 club Nice Terem Igobor Moffi has been named to the Nigeria Cup of Nations squad instead of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface.

Striker Terem Moffi has scored six goals in Ligue 1 this season.

Boniface was ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) through injury, in another blow to the Nigeria head coach Portuguese, José Peseiro.

The Nigerian Federation confirmed his replacement, Igobor via their Facebook page.

Boniface picked up the injury in Nigeria training camp in Abu Dhabi and was absent from the Super Eagles’ 2-0 Pre-Afcon friendly defeat to Guinea.

A few days ago, Wilfred Ndidi was replaced with Royal Antwerp midfielder Alhassan Yusuf.

Nigeria to start their Group A campaign against Equatorial Guinea on 14 January before taking hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.

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Nigeria to start their Goup A campaign against Equatorial Guinea on 14 January, before taking hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage
Nigeria to start their Goup A campaign against Equatorial Guinea on 14 January, before taking hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.
SuperSport make Africa Cup of Nations U-turn to broadcast showpiece tournament
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

SuperSport make Cup of Nations U-turn to broadcast showpiece

SuperSport TV has announced they will broadcast all 52 matches of the TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 Ivory Coast 2023 live after MultiChoice secured the rights to broadcast the continent’s showpiece tournament.

Following their initial announcement of not broadcasting the event, they have made a U-turn after securing broadcasting rights for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals set to take place in Ivory Coast, commencing in two days.

The 34th edition is set to kick off on 13 January 2024 until 11 February 2024 as hosts Ivory Coast take on Guinea-Bissau at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara.

“MultiChoice reached a commercially viable agreement with rightsholders, New World TV (NWTV), to broadcast the 34th edition of Africa’s premier men’s football competition taking place in Ivory Coast,” Super Sport confirmed.

Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport CEO, said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase the best of African football live to our viewers.”

As part of this agreement, Nimonka Kolani, Managing Director of NWTV, declared: “By securing the rights to CAN 2023 under the leadership of Dr Patrice Motsepe, SuperSport and NWTV prove that nothing is more important than the happiness of Africans who wish to follow the exploits of their favourite team during the biggest football competition in Africa.”

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