African Champions Côte d’Ivoire Held by Benin 

Oumar Diakite scored a second-half equaliser to spare the blushes of newly-crowned African champions Côte d’Ivoire who were held to a 2-2 draw by Benin in a friendly in Amiens, France on Saturday.

It was a first game for coach Emerse Fae since his side lifted the Africa  Cup of Nations title on home soil last month, but they had to come behind twice to draw after a lacklustre performance.

Benin midfielder Junior Olaitan opened the scoring before winger Max Gradel equalised just before the half-hour mark. Olaitan’s second goal put Benin on course for victory before Diakite equalised again after 69 minutes.

Ivory Coast play Uruguay in a friendly in Lens on Tuesday, another opportunity to build towards the resumption of 2026 African World Cup qualifiers in June.