Worldcup 1998 : ACN'98 - South Africa 1 / Ivory Coast 1, February 11, 1998.

SOUTH AFRICA 1 / IVORY COAST 1, February 11, 1998.

Double draws in fifth day of Africa Cup
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BOBO DIOULASSO, Burkina Faso , February 11, 98 (AP)

Up-and-coming Ivory Coast dealt a blow to the hopes of African Cup of Nations champions South Africa with a 1-1 draw.

Wednesday's result -- South Africa's second draw in as many games -- severely limits the 1996 Cup winner's chances of progressing beyond the first round of the tournament.

In other Wednesday games, African Cup hosts Burkina Faso defeated Algeria 2-1 and Guinea came back from behind to tie Cameroon 2-2.

In Bobo Dioulasso, this West African country's second largest city, Bafana Bafana was first on the scoreboard when Helman Mkhahlele converted a penalty shot in the ninth minute following a foul against striker Pollen Ndlanya.

But Ivory Coast's Elephants dominated the ball most of the game, and evened the score in the 47th minute when Ouattara Ahmed headed in the ball against South Africa's standout goalkeeper Brian Baloyi.

The result puts Ivory Coast, which won its opening game against Namibia 3-2, in top position in Group C, four points ahead of South Africa.

South Africa, one of four contenders in the tournament who have qualified for the World Cup, was seen as an early favorite for the African title despite bringing a younger, less experienced team to the tournament.