Comeback wins for Ivory Coast, Cameroon at Africa Cup. Sudan advances despite defeat and war at home

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Bazoumana Touré scored in stoppage time as defending champion Ivory Coast recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Gabon 3-2 on Wednesday in the Africa Cup of Nations, which now enters the knockout stage.

Christopher Opéri crossed for Touré to head in the winner as Les Éléphants staged a dramatic comeback to finish top of Group F, just ahead of Cameroon, by virtue of scoring a goal more than the Indomitable Lions.

Opéri had also set up Evann Guessand for the equalizer in the 84th minute. Both of the late scorers were substitutes, as coach Emerse Faé was forced to make changes to counter Gabon's early dominance.

The Panthers raced ahead with goals from Guélor Kanga and Denis Bouanga, before Jean‑Philippe Krasso pulled one back at the end of the first half.

“We wanted this first place, and we had to work in the second half for it,” Faé said.

Five-time winner Cameroon also came from behind to beat Mozambique 2-1 in the other group game.

Both Ivory Coast and Cameroon finished with seven points each, with a goal difference of plus 2, but Ivory Coast scored five goals, compared to Cameroon’s four.

Mozambique also progressed to the last 16 as one of the four best third-place finishers.

Gabon was already eliminated after starting with two defeats.

Ivory Coast stays in Marrakech after winning the group and will next face Burkina Faso in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Cameroon was dealt a tough encounter against South Africa in Rabat on Sunday, and Mozambique will face Nigeria the next day in Fez.

In other confirmed matchups, 2021 champion Senegal will play Sudan in Tangier on Saturday before Tunisia plays Mali in Casablanca.

Host nation Morocco will face Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday, and seven-time champion Egypt will play Benin in Agadir on Monday.

Also, Algeria and Congo meet in Rabat on Tuesday.

Despite a 2-0 loss to Burkina Faso in its final group game, Sudan could look forward to the knockout stage after qualifying as one of the best third-place finishers.

Both teams were already assured of advancing before their Group E match Wednesday. Sudan progressed despite the complication of playing all its qualification games away from home as the country contends with a brutal war and humanitarian crisis.

“This is good for all Sudanese,” Sudan coach James Appiah said.

Burkina Faso made a better start and the Stallions duly took the lead through Lassina Traoré in the 16th.

Sudan had a great opportunity to level when Burkinabe ’keeper Hervé Koffi bundled over Al Gozoli Nooh in the penalty area, but Nooh missed the resulting spot kick.

The Sudanese fans, who were in a majority at the Stade Mohammed V stadium, tried rallying the team. Yasir Mozamil was just wide, and Amar Abdallah missed another good chance for Sudan.

Arsène Kouassi sealed the Stallions' win with a late goal as Burkina Faso finished second in the group.

Algeria, already assured of topping the group, signed off before its last-16 meeting with Congo with a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea, which finished with three defeats.

Zineddine Belaid, Fares Chaibi and Ibrahim Maza scored in the first half for Algeria.

Veteran forward Emilio Nsue – playing for the first time legally in the Africa Cup – scored a brilliant consolation for the National Thunder in the second half. The 36-year-old Nsue was the top scorer at the last edition, but FIFA in 2024 ruled he was never eligible over his 11 years playing for Equatorial Guinea. He was finally cleared to play in March this year.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Ivory Coast's Evann Guessand celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Gabon and Ivory Coast, in Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ivory Coast's Evann Guessand celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Gabon and Ivory Coast, in Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ivory Coast players celebrate after scoring a goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Gabon and Ivory Coast, in Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ivory Coast fans cheer their team during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Gabon and Ivory Coast, in Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ivory Coast's Bazoumana Touré scores during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Gabon and Ivory Coast, in Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

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Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

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President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)