Belgium's winning streak halted in draw against Ivory Coast

Franck Kessie scored a late equaliser to cancel out Michy Batshuayi's 53rd minute strike as Belgium was held to a 1-1 draw by Ivory Coast in a friendly.

Published : Oct 09, 2020 08:51 IST

Ivory Coast;s Franck Kiesse celebrates his goal against Belgium in an international friendly at Brussels.
Ivory Coast;s Franck Kiesse celebrates his goal against Belgium in an international friendly at Brussels.
lightbox-info

Ivory Coast;s Franck Kiesse celebrates his goal against Belgium in an international friendly at Brussels.

A late equaliser from the penalty spot earned Ivory Coast a 1-1 draw with a second-string Belgium side in a friendly on Thursday, ending a run of 12 successive victories for the top team in the world rankings.

Michy Batshuayi converted from close range to give Belgium a 53rd-minute lead but Franck Kessie equalised for the visitor from the spot with four minutes remaining.

The Belgians rested almost all their regulars ahead of Sunday's Nations League clash against England at Wembley but went ahead when Batshuayi converted from point-blank range at the second attempt after being set up by Alexis Saelemakers, one of five debutants used by coach Roberto Martinez.

Batshuayi also had the best chances of the first half, being denied by Ivorian goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo and blasting a free kick from the edge of the penalty area wide.

Substitute goalkeeper Hendrick Van Crombrugge, who rejoined the squad hours before kick-off after the birth of his child this week and replace Simon Mignolet to earn his first cap, made a reflex stop to deny Nicolas Pepe an equaliser after Wilfried Zaha had cleverly set him up.

 

Zaha continued to trouble the home defence, however, and was fouled by debutant Sebastiaan Bornauw in the box, leading to Ivory Coast's late penalty.

It was a first international in 11 months for the African side which next plays Japan in Utrecht on Tuesday.

Belgium's game against England on Sunday is followed by another Nations League match in Iceland on Wednesday.

In the other friendly on Thursday, Sweden eased to a 2-1 win over Russia in Moscow.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment