Ivory Coast held to a draw by Guinea

Ten-man Ivory Coast were held to a 1-1 draw by underdogs Guinea with Seydou Doumbia’s equaliser sparing their blushes in their opening Group D match at the African Nations Cup.

Mohamed Yattara’s first-half opener in an entertaining match had threatened a shock until Doumbia’s 73rd-minute leveller. 

The Guineans might rue a missed chance to stun their more heralded rivals, but the result will have further boosted their confidence after they defied the odds to qualify for tournament.

Having overcome the ravages of the Ebola virus in their country which forced them to play all their home qualifiers at a neutral venue, Guinea stunned the Ivorians when Yattara fired them ahead with a superb strike.

Ivory Coast had forward Gervinho sent off for striking an opponent shortly before the hour mark.

Mali and Cameroon, the other two teams in the group, play later on Tuesday.