Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-29 23:31:12
Ivory Coast’s national team redeemed themselves on Monday by defeating defending champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw in extra time, to secure a place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. The thrilling last-16 match saw Habib Diallo put Senegal ahead after four minutes, only for Franck Kessie to equalize with a penalty just before the end of regular time in Yamoussoukro.
The victory came as a welcome relief for Ivory Coast, who suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea just a week prior. Despite the setback, supporters continued to show strong support for the host nation, with long queues forming in the middle of the night to purchase tickets for the match.
Following the defeat to Equatorial Guinea, French coach Jean-Louis Gasset was dismissed, and former coach Herve Renard declined the opportunity to return. As a result, the team promoted assistant coach Emerse Fae to lead the team.
The match between Ivory Coast and Senegal pitted the most and least impressive teams from the group stage against each other. Although Senegal comfortably won all their group matches to top Group D, Ivory Coast narrowly advanced as one of the best third-placed teams.
The game saw Ivory Coast make five changes to their starting lineup, while Senegal made three changes to their team. Despite a strong showing from both teams, the clash was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout, with Kessie scoring the decisive goal.
The thrilling encounter now sets Ivory Coast up for a showdown against either Mali or Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals.
