Cote D’ivoire  eased to their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying win when they defeated Chad 2-0 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Tuesday evening.

The Elephants, the reigning AFCON champions, top Group G with a full haul of six points after goals from Jean-Philippe Krasso and Oumar Diakite saw them past a spirited challenge from Les Sao.

The first half was a frustrating one for Ivory Coast, who dominated possession and created several decent openings, but were unable to beat Chad goalkeeper Gabin Allabatna, who was also indebted to a good showing from the defence in front of him.

However, Les Sao’s resilience abandoned them three minutes into injury time before the interval when they allowed Jean-Philippe Krasso to score a third goal in these qualifiers (adding to his brace against Zambia last Friday) and ensure that the visitors enjoyed a 1-0 advantage heading to the change rooms.

And just 10 minutes into the second stanza, the Elephants doubled their lead via Oumar Diakite, with the Reims midfielder directing an effort beyond the reach of Allabatna to effectively end the game as a contest.

The teams will return to Group G action next month, with Chad and Ivory Coast facing respective double-headers against Zambia and Sierra Leone respectively.

Chad 0

Ivory Coast (1) 2 (Krasso 45+3’, Diakite 55’)

Chad: Allabatna, Abderamane, Allarabaye (Youssouf 72’), Damba, Marius, Ngouyamsa, Ninga (Amine 73’), Osee (Abdelrazak 58’), Tchouplaou, Thiam, Yeo (Djibrine 72’)

I Coast: Y. Fofana, Adingra (Diomande 75’), Agbadou, Diakite (Traore 61’), Guessand (Diallo 61’), Kessie (Doue 75’), Krasso (Kossounou 89’), Ndicka, Operi, Seri, Singo