Real Madrid winger Yan Diomandé provided the assist for striker Elye Wahi: Ivory Coast beat Gambia 2-1 in Bouaké and sit top of their group with 9 points.
Ivory Coast cemented their position as leaders. On Thursday in Bouaké, the Elephants of head coach Hervé Renard saw off Gambia 2-1. Yan Diomandé, the Real Madrid winger, provided the assist for Elye Wahi’s goal, according to Goal.com, citing AFP.
Spanish daily AS, relayed by Goal.com, describes a “great performance” from the Madrid man. That is the newspaper’s assessment, not an official match statistic.
Pépé sets it up, Wahi finishes
The Ivorian story unfolded in two stages. Nicolas Pépé crossed for Yalkouya’s opening goal, before Wahi doubled the lead from Diomandé’s pass, again according to Goal.com. The winger’s work, whose passes into the gaps and dribbles in tight spaces caught AS’s eye, thus found its conclusion at the feet of the striker.
Gambia responded before the break. Musa Barrow, the Al-Khaleej forward, pulled one back in the 38th minute with a right-footed strike following a corner, Arriyadiyah reports.
Nine points and top spot
This win matters in the table. The Elephants have 9 points and lead their group, with Gambia staying on 6 points, according to Goal.com. That three-point gap puts Ivory Coast in pole position ahead of the return fixture.
Information on this match comes from Goal.com, drawing on AFP, from Arriyadiyah for the Gambian goal and from TuttoAtalanta for the announced line-up.
Kessie tipped to start, Banjul in sight
Midfielder Franck Kessie is tipped to start the return match, according to TuttoAtalanta. That is a press report, not an official line-up, and will have to be confirmed at kick-off.
Gambia – Ivory Coast takes place on Tuesday 17 November 2026 in Banjul, at 5pm, on matchday 4 of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Elephants will meet Gambia again five days after this win, this time away from home.