The Elephants of Côté d’Ivoire got the better of the Eagles of Mali in the Quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations by 2 goals to 1.
Tradition has once again been respected between Ivory Coast and Mali. Maintaining 6 matches, the Ivorians have 5 victories and a draw.
Facing the young, playful Mali team, the Elephants did not show good form at the start. Beaten in the duels, Emerse Fae’s men created a shock by conceding a penalty in the 17th minute. But the Malian striker, Adama Noss Traoré, will see his ball stopped by the Ivorian goalkeeper.
Very determined to break the chain of defeats against Ivory Coast, coach Eric Chelle’s men are keeping their foot on the acceleration. This combativeness finally paid off in the 71st minute when Nene Dorgeles with a curling shot deceived the Ivorian goalkeeper.
Trailing, the Ivorians struggled to pull themselves together and played a messy game. As if to make matters worse, Odilon Kossounou was sent off the field by the Egyptian referee for accumulating cards. At the stadium, discouragement begins to show on faces. Some grab their rosaries to call Heaven for help.
Coach Emerse Fae brings Simon Adingra onto the field. Damn lucky guy! Served in the penalty area, he gets rid of his bodyguards and passes to Seko Fofana who takes the ball on the rebound. But this will be stopped by a Malian defender. S. Adingra who was roaming around pushed the ball from the tip of the Soulier into the Malian nets. We play the 90th minute.
This goal sends both teams into overtime. Reduced to 10, the Ivorian team manages to contain the Malian attacks and even bring danger to the opposing camp. And at 120+2 minutes, on a set piece, Seko Fofana made a strike towards the Malian camp. The ball is deflected with the foot of Oumar Diakité who deceives the Malian goalkeeper. A goal that kills the hope of Malians and their supporters.
As in previous confrontations, Côte d’Ivoire gained the upper hand over Mali, this time in the final minutes of overtime. The men of coach Emerse Fae thus obtain their qualifying ticket for the semi-final of CAN 2023. They will be opposed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
After narrowly escaping elimination, Ivory Coast sent home defending champions Senegal and delivered a cold shower to Mali’s hopes.
Issa Sawadogo, special correspondent to Bouaké d’Ivoire in the semi-final
The Elephants of Côté d’Ivoire got the better of the Eagles of Mali in the Quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations by 2 goals to 1.
Tradition has once again been respected between Ivory Coast and Mali. Maintaining 6 matches, the Ivorians have 5 victories and a draw.
Facing the young, playful Mali team, the Elephants did not show good form at the start. Beaten in the duels, Emerse Fae’s men created a shock by conceding a penalty in the 17th minute. But the Malian striker, Adama Noss Traoré, will see his ball stopped by the Ivorian goalkeeper.
Very determined to break the chain of defeats against Ivory Coast, coach Eric Chelle’s men are keeping their foot on the acceleration. This combativeness finally paid off in the 71st minute when Nene Dorgeles with a curling shot deceived the Ivorian goalkeeper.
Trailing, the Ivorians struggled to pull themselves together and played a messy game. As if to make matters worse, Odilon Kossounou was sent off the field by the Egyptian referee for accumulating cards. At the stadium, discouragement begins to show on faces. Some grab their rosaries to call Heaven for help.
Coach Emerse Fae brings Simon Adingra onto the field. Damn lucky guy! Served in the penalty area, he gets rid of his bodyguards and passes to Seko Fofana who takes the ball on the rebound. But this will be stopped by a Malian defender. S. Adingra who was roaming around pushed the ball from the tip of the Soulier into the Malian nets. We play the 90th minute.
This goal sends both teams into overtime. Reduced to 10, the Ivorian team manages to contain the Malian attacks and even bring danger to the opposing camp. And at 120+2 minutes, on a set piece, Seko Fofana made a strike towards the Malian camp. The ball is deflected with the foot of Oumar Diakité who deceives the Malian goalkeeper. A goal that kills the hope of Malians and their supporters.
As in previous confrontations, Côte d’Ivoire gained the upper hand over Mali, this time in the final minutes of overtime. The men of coach Emerse Fae thus obtain their qualifying ticket for the semi-final of CAN 2023. They will be opposed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
After narrowly escaping elimination, Ivory Coast sent home defending champions Senegal and delivered a cold shower to Mali’s hopes.
Issa Sawadogo, special envoy to Bouaké
