Hosts Ivory Coast eliminated defending champions Senegal with Franck Kessie’s winning penalty.
In the first half, Ivory Coast had more ball possession, but Senegal took an early lead with a brilliant strike from Habib Diallo. Sadio Mane provided a perfect cross for Diallo, who controlled the ball with his chest and scored.
Edouard Mendy, the former Chelsea goalkeeper, made crucial saves to maintain Senegal’s lead, but later conceded a penalty when he fouled Nicolas Pepe. After a VAR check, the penalty was awarded to Ivory Coast, and Kessie converted it to equalize.
The goal in the match led to extra time, but neither team was able to score again, so penalties were necessary. The Ivory Coast team eventually won the shootout 5-4, securing their place in the AFCON quarter-finals.
Credit should be given to the entire Ivory Coast team, who overcame a lot of turmoil to reach the quarter-finals. The unexpected firing of their manager, Jean-Louis Gasset, after a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in the group stage was a major shock for the team. However, they managed to come together and eliminate the defending champions and tournament favorites.
Sadio Mane, the captain of Senegal, is responsible for his team’s elimination from the competition. Despite assisting Diallo’s early goal, Mane had the opportunity to score himself but failed to keep his shot on target in the 77th minute. Ivory Coast will face the winner of the Mali and Burkina Faso match in the quarter-final on February 3 at Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
