Ivory Coast's effort to defend their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title is building up nicely after they easily beat Burkina Faso 3-0 in the last 16 match, making it six wins out of their last eight international games (D1, L1).
Photo: Ivory Coast
Burkina Faso had the first chance on target when Saïdou Simporé's shot from distance was saved by Yahia Fofana.
But Ivory Coast took control from there, with Amad Diallo missing two attempts and captain Franck Kessié curling a shot over.
Still, Ivory Coast could have gone behind when Cyriaque Irié's cross went behind Fofana, but it also missed forward Lassina Traoré.
Les Éléphants finally scored in the 20th minute when Evann Guessand outmusculated Adamo Nagalo and passed to Amad, who got inside Edmond Tapsoba and scored with a clever dink over Hervé Koffi.
After the VAR confirmed Guessand's challenge was okay, Ivory Coast doubled their lead when Yan Diomande, who had just missed a chance, finished well after receiving a pass from Amad, who had gotten it cleverly from Kessié.
Not long after that, Guessand had a chance to make it 3-0 but hesitated after entering the box, while at the other end, Dango Ouattara from Brentford hit the woodwork, reminding Ivory Coast they couldn't let their guard down.
Burkina Faso had a tough time, especially after head coach Brama Traoré took off the already-booked Nagalo and brought on Blati Touré just before halftime.
Georgi Minoungou was also introduced for the 2021 AFCON semi-finalists, but they didn't improve much, with Guéla Doué being the next to come close for Ivory Coast as he flicked over the bar from Diomande's free-kick.
In the end, Ivory Coast secured the win in the closing stages as teenager Bazoumana Touré took the ball from Bertrand Traoré, ran the length of the field, and scored a brilliant solo goal.
As a reward for this win, Faé's team will face Egypt in a thrilling quarter-final on Saturday, while Burkina Faso will leave the tournament for the second time in a row.