AFCON 2023: Nine-man Cote d’Ivoire reach semi-finals in dramatic style
Double last-gasp euphoria saw nine-man Cote d’Ivoire seal a remarkable come-from-behind 2-1 victory to dump Mali out of the tournament in front of a raucous home crowd.
The fiercely contested match delivered plenty of drama as the host nation scored in the final minute of regulation time before sealing a place in the semi-finals with another last-minute strike in extra time despite their numerical inferiority.
A fast start from Mali threatened to put Cote d’Ivoire to the sword in the opening exchange when the referee, Mohamed Adel, denied the Eagles a penalty after Odilon Kossounou’s outstretched arm blocked Amadou Haidara’s shot at close range.
After a four-minute review, VAR upheld the on-field decision, with Haidara deemed to be offside in the build-up to the incident. However, Mali would not be denied at the second time of asking with Kossounou the culprit once again.
The Bayer Leverkusen man was penalised for a foul on Lassine Sinayoko and Mali were handed a guilt-edged chance to take the lead from the spot but Adama Traore’s effort was expertly saved by Yahia Fofana.
Kossounou was yellow-carded for the penalty foul. But his evening went from bad to worse as he was dismissed for a second bookable offence with half-time approaching after another clumsy tackle.
Mali monopolised possession after the break, but a couple of half-time changes and a pragmatic approach from the host nation made them difficult to break down.
It was going to take something extraordinary to get past the dogged Ivory Coast backline, and Nene Dorgeles stepped up for Mali, rifling an unstoppable long-range effort into the top right corner.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium for Cote d’Ivoire, and it appeared their luck had run out until Brighton & Hove Albion forward, Simon Adingra, pounced on a loose ball in the Mali area and dispatched clinically, sending the tie into extra time.
There were tired legs all over the pitch, but the additional 30 minutes saw an identical level of intensity from both sides as the previous 90. However, momentum favoured Cote d’Ivoire.
Sebastien Haller first came close, crashing a header on the woodwork before a sublime flick from Oumar Diakite who won the game for Cote d’Ivoire, sending the fans into a frenzy.
Diakite had previously been booked and was sent off in the final minutes for taking off his shirt after scoring the winning goal.
Mali pushed on for a late equaliser, and the most shocking incident occurred in the final minutes when they were denied a chance to take a last-minute corner before the referee ended the game.
Ultimately, Cote d’Ivoire will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals on Wednesday after coming back on from behind to beat Guinea 3-1 on Friday.
Mohamed Bayo put Guinea ahead with a 20th-minute penalty after the forward was fouled by Chancel Mbemba, who then fired in from a narrow angle at the other end to equalise seven minutes later.
DR Congo had a penalty of their own in the second half when Julian Jeanvier clipped the legs of Silas and Brentford forward, Yoane Wissa, converted before Arthur Masuaku’s free-kick from wide on the left caught out Guinea goalkeeper, Ibrahim Kone, at his near post to seal the victory. —onefootball
