Amad Diallo

Amad assists for Ivory Coast in Olympic opener

Thursday 22 July 2021 11:46

Amad provided a fantastic assist for Franck Kessie as the Ivory Coast opened their Olympic Games with a 2-1 victory against Saudi Arabia.

Defender Eric Bailly also played the full game for the Elephants, who had taken the lead through an own goal before being pegged back by a strike from Salem Aldawsari.

With the scores level, Amad drove down the right wing, cut inside and beat three men before passing to Franck Kessie, waiting on the edge of the box. The AC Milan midfielder turned away from his marker before powering a beautiful strike into the bottom right corner.

Amad in action in Yokohama.

It's a fantastic start to the tournament for Amad, who celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this month. The only sour note for his country was the 97th-minute red card given to Aboubacar Doumbia which leaves the side a player short for their next game against Brazil on Sunday.

 

Eric Bailly is one of the three permitted over-23 players in the Ivory Coast set-up and will be crucial for them as they look to navigate a tough group. After the weekend's match against Brazil, they'll then face Germany.

Wins for our Olympic Reds in Japan

 Article

Read how two United Women stars were in action at the Tokyo Games on Wednesday.

Upcoming Olympic fixtures for Reds

24 July
Japan vs Great Britain (Ella Toone) - 11:30 BST, BBC One/BBC iPlayer
Netherlands vs Brazil (Jackie Groenen) - 12:00 BST, Eurosport 5/Eurosport Player

25 July
Brazil v Ivory Coast (Amad, Eric Bailly) - 09:30 BST, Eurosport Player/Discovery+

27 July
Canada v Great Britain (Ella Toone) - 12:00 BST, BBC
Netherlands v China (Jackie Groenen) - 12:30, Eurosport Player/Discovery+

28 July
Germany v Ivory Coast (Amad, Eric Bailly) - 09:00 BST, Eurosport Player/Discovery+

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