Ivory Coast surrendered their lead twice to suffer a stunning 3-2 defeat at home to Guinea in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group H opener on Saturday. In a match that was preceded by gloom following the sudden death of former Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote with Chinese side Beijing Enterprises last week, the hosts failed to prevail against a less fancied Guinea side in Bouaké. Seydou Doumbia gave the 2015 Nations Cup champions the lead in the 15th minute, before Sadio Diallo equalized for the Guineans 17 minutes later - as both sides went into the dressing room with the result tied at 1-1. Basel forward Doumbia then restored the hosts' advantage two minutes past the hour mark, only for Francois Kamano to cancel out the Ivoirians' lead just four minutes later. Naby Keita scored the winner 11 minutes from time to give his side a priceless win against a side tipped to win their group. In Group I, Burkina Faso secured a 3-1 home win over Angola, with Aristide Bance getting his name on the scoresheet twice. After opening the scoring in the 22nd minute, Bance – who plays for South Africa's Chippa United – saw his side's lead cancelled out by Gelson just a minute later. Bance, however, scored again just three minutes from the break and Ajax winger Bertrand Traore completed the rout in the 79th minute. Another team to prevail at home were Mali, who claimed a comeback 2-1 win over Gabon in Group H. After taking a 3rd-minute lead through Denis Bouanga, Mali staged a comeback after the break, thanks to Kalifa Coulibaly and Yves Bissouma goals on 54 and 57 minutes respectively. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
