Ange N'Guessan of UDG TenerifeFB/UDGTenerife

Ange N'Guessan: Tenerife star inspires Cote d'Ivoire's first-leg win over Mali

Ange N'Guessan scored the second goal for Cote d'Ivoire as they defeated Mali 3-0 in the first leg of their Tokyo Olympic Games qualifier on Saturday.

The Tenerife striker made up for her uninspiring display in Elephants' Wafu Women's Cup title miss in May, as she inspired their first-leg lead over the Malians in Abidjan. 

The Ivorians got a walkover against Sierra Leone in the opening round, while the Malians defeated Morocco 5-3 on aggregate to advance.

At the Stade Robert Champroux, both teams failed to find the back of the net until Tia Ines gave the hosts the lead before half time.

After the restart, N'Guessan doubled the advantage for Clémentine Toure's side on the hour mark before Eloheh Rebecca scored the 10 minutes from full time to seal the first-leg triumph. 

The result means the Ivorians are one-leg into the third round ahead of their second leg clash with the Female Eagles at Stade Mamadou Konate, Bamako on September 3.

The winner over two legs will take on either Nigeria or Algeria in the third round of the qualifying tournament late September. 

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