Books AFCON 2023 quarter-final ticket

West African rivals thrill in round of 16 clash

Mali are through to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 quarter finals after a nail-biting 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Tuesday in Korhogo.

TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023| Monday, 29 January

Cote d’Ivoire stun holders Senegal in shootout to reach quarter-finals

Hosts Cote d’Ivoire pulled off a monumental upset by defeating defending champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties after extra time to advance to the TotalEneriges CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

In front of a raucous home crowd at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, Senegal made a blistering start and took the lead just 4 minutes in.

A superb cross from Sadio Mane found Habib Diallo, who calmly chested the ball down before firing a rocket into the top corner.

Stunned by conceding so early, the hosts gradually grew into the game with neat interplay in midfield between Franck Kessie and Jean Michael Seri.

Ibrahim Sangare posed a constant threat on the wing while strikers Sebastien Haller and Nicolas Pepe stretched Senegal’s defense.

The Elephants had the better of the first half, but despite several near misses, a Senegalese wall of Kalidou Koulibaly and Abdou Diallo repelled everything thrown at them. 0-1 at halftime.

Senegal almost doubled their lead early in the second half when a speculative Ismaila Sarr effort forced a fingertip save. But Cote d’Ivoire were unfazed and continued pressing.

The game turned on a pivotal 86th-minute moment. Pepe burst into the box and was clumsily brought down by Edouard Mendy.

After VAR reviewed the incident, Franck Kessie coolly sent Mendy the wrong way from the spot to equalize and send the home crowd into ecstasy.

Chances came and went for both sides in extra time, but the scores remained level. In the shootout, each side netted their first four penalties. But when Kalifa Coulibaly’s effort came off the upright, Kessie stepped up to smash home the winning kick, capping a remarkable turnaround for the hosts.

After a disastrous group stage, Cote d’Ivoire showed tremendous resilience and spirit to dethrone Senegal, who must relinquish their title. The Elephants march on, redemption complete.

Few gave the Elephants hope to enter this last 16 clash against star-studded Senegal.

But led by captain Serge Aurier, the spirited hosts fought until the end and sometimes rode their luck against profligate opponents.

This result blows the tournament wide open. The defending champions are out, and the unfancied hosts march on in dramatic style.

MATCH FACTS:

• Côte d’Ivoire have played their 11th penalty shootout in the Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team in the competition. They have won five of these 11 shootouts, with only Egypt having a higher tally (6).

• Côte d’Ivoire has reached the quarter-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations edition for the 11th time in their history, with no team having played more quarter-finals in the competition (Ghana, Tunisia, and Nigeria also at 11 each).

• Senegal will not be playing in the quarter-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations edition for the first time since 2015 (eliminated in the group stage). This is the seventh consecutive edition in which the title holder has failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the last team to reach this stage of the competition being Egypt in 2010.

• Habib Diallo’s goal after 4 minutes was the earliest Côte d’Ivoire had conceded in an Africa Cup of Nations game since Rashidi Yekini’s goal against Nigeria in 1990 (third minute). It was also the earliest goal acknowledged by a host nation in an AFCON match since Ethiopia conceded against DR Congo in the 1968 semi-final (third minute).

• Habib Diallo Scored after 3 minutes and 15 seconds and scored Senegal’s earliest goal in a knockout game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

• Franck Kessié is the first Côte d’Ivoire player to score a penalty goal in the Africa Cup of Nations since Didier Drogba in 2006 against Morocco, and the first to do so in a knockout game since Lucien Kassi-Kouadio, also against Morocco in the match for the third place in the 1986 edition.

• Sadio Mané has delivered his third assist in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the highest tally for a player from Senegal at a single edition since Opta collected this data (2010). Since his debut in the competition in 2015, he has been involved in seven goals in the knockout phase (3 goals, four assists), more than any other player.

• Côte d’Ivoire midfielder Jean Michaël Seri has completed 95.5% of his passes against Senegal (63/66). Of the players who have attempted at least 60 passes in a game since 2010, only Anicet Abel, with Madagascar against Tunisia in the quarter-finals of the 2019 edition, has had a higher percentage in an Africa Cup of Nations knockout game (96.9%).

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Cisse rues missed chance after Cote d’Ivoire heartbreak

Ivory Coast extended their perfect record against Senegal at the Afcon finals to three wins as they reached the quarter-finals in dramatic fashion

Jean-Michael Seri extols Elephants for ousting AFCON defending champions Teranga Lions of Senegal to the quarter-finals of Cote d’Ivoire 2023

An Ivory Coast supporter shows their team’s mascot, nicknamed the Elephants, during the 2012 AFCON in Gabon on Feb. 8, 2012. © Francois Mori/AP

Cote d’Ivoire midfielder Jean-Michael Seri says despite the team advancing on penalties, what matters is the fact that they have qualified for the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

Seri spoke after his side’s emphatic 5-4 victory following a 1-1 stalemate against Senegal, where he was awarded the TotalEnergies Man of the Match award in Yamoussoukro.

“We did not start the match well, and after we conceded the goal, we responded to that, and we took control of the match with a team performance. It doesn’t matter how we qualified; what matters is that we qualified”, said the midfielder.

“We were just calm. At halftime, the coach asked us to continue in the same way. We were excellent and united and fought for our nation. The important thing is that we qualified for the quarter-finals. Côte d’Ivoire qualified for the next round, which is the most important thing for me”, concluded the midfielder.

TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Prize Money

Hugo Broos confident of upsetting ‘favourite’ Morocco

2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalist Morocco will face South Africa in the round of 16 of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 on Tuesday, January 30, at the Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro.

The game promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of Africa’s greats.

In Group E, South Africa finished second. Although they got off to a shaky start against Mali, the Bafana Bafana bounced back with a resounding 4-0 win over Namibia before drawing with Tunisia, which led to the latter’s elimination.

Often expected to perform at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, South Africa has failed to meet expectations. Their most recent success was eliminating Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2019 TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, but they eventually fell short.

Hugo Broos’ men are looking to go far in the competition this time.

Percy Tau, Themba Zwane, and Thapelo Morena will have to contend with one of the best defensive units of the competition in Romain Saïss and Nayef Aguerd.

Morocco is one of the teams nobody wants to face. Ever since their dazzling run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, the Atlas Lions have been tough for everyone they have crossed paths with.

Their ambition has been clear: to go as far as possible in the tournament and win the trophy.

So far, everything is going according to plan for the Atlas Lions. The 1-1 draw with DR Congo left a few doubts. The final match against Zambia in the group phase, which they won 1-0, clearly indicated the team’s ambition.

Walid Regragui – Morocco coach

“It’s a knockout match. It’s a change of competition. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. We’ve done well so far, but we want to do better.  We have a lot of respect for South Africa. They were the last team to beat us on the continent. We’re not in a favorable position, so I insist on my group’s humility.

Boufal is out and his TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 is over. He has a muscular problem and, barring a surprise, we won’t see him again.

Ziyech is also suffering from his ankle. The medical staff and I are doing everything possible to get him back on the pitch. If we have to risk with him, we’ll take it”.

Hugo Broos, South Africa coach

“This TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 is full of surprises, as we’ve seen from the start. We already beat Morocco a year ago and can do it again.  Anything is possible, and we want to create another surprise in this competition. We’re confident. We believe in ourselves and in what we can do. We’ll have to go into this match with the same frame of mind we’ve had recently, but I want us to be at a very high level”.

Mendes’ penalty sends Cape Verde into the quarter-finals

A late Ryan Mendes penalty gave Cape Verde a dramatic 1-0 victory over Mauritania to book their place in Monday’s Total TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

In a tense last-16 clash at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 as the game ended.

Cape Verde had dominated possession and chances, with Jovane Cabral having a goal disallowed for offside in the opening minutes. But Mauritania’s defense held firm.

As the match wore on, Cape Verde continued to press while Mauritania posed threats on the counterattack. Both passionate fans roared their teams on, but a winner still eluded both.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute when Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse brought down Gilson Tavares in the box.

Up stepped captain Ryan Mendes to smash home the penalty and make it 1-0.

With the Mourabitounes now forced to chase the game, Cape Verde stood firm to see out a famous victory and advance to the quarter-finals for the second time, where they will face either Morocco or South Africa on Saturday.

MATCH FACTS

• Cape Verde has won their first knockout game ever at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (after losing 2-0 each time, against Ghana in 2013 and against Senegal in the 2021 edition). The Blue Sharks have won three of their last four AFCON encounters (D1), more wins than in their first 11 (D6 L3).

• Mauritania has not found the net in 70% of their CAF Africa Cup of Nations games (7/10); only Guinea-Bissau registered a higher ratio (75% – 9/12) among the teams that have played at least ten encounters in the competition’s history.

• Cabo Verde have attempted 18 shots against Mauritania tonight, their highest tally at the same CAF Africa Cup of Nations game since 2010. On the opposite, the Almoravids have attempted 11 shots without a single one on target, and only Ghana has fired more shots without finding the target in the same AFCON encounter since 2010 (16 shots, none on target v Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the 2015 edition over 120 minutes).

• Ryan Mendes has scored the second latest penalty goal in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout game (87 minutes and 53 seconds) since Opta began to collect these data (2010), after the one scored by Javier Balboa (92 minutes and 6 seconds) with Equatorial Guinea v Tunisia on 31 January 2015 in the quarter-final (2-1).

• Sidi Amar (Mauritania) have made eight tackles against Cabo Verde tonight (3 won), the joint-highest tally in the same 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations game, equaling Aïssa Laïdouni with Tunisia v South Africa. Out of the last three AFCON editions, only Adama Guira (9 with Burkina Faso vs. Cameroon in January 2022) has made more tackles in the same encounter in the competition.

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