Ivory Coast fairytale sail in 2023 AFCON has continued beyond the quarterfinals with yet another sensational comeback against Mali, LCSoccerHub Reports.
Sneaking into the knockout as a third-placed team with the least number of points in the group stage, Ivory Coast have rewritten the narrative of their 2023 AFCON journey with a five-star performance in the knockouts.
The Elephants defied the odds to eliminate tournament favorites and defending Champions Senegal in round 16. It was a statement victory against the Teranga Lions, who wrapped up the group stages as the best team with maximum points from three emphatic victories.
Being paired against the high-flying Senegalese, Ivory Coast were written off the tie but they worked out magic, edging out the defending champions on shootouts to book their place in the last 8.
It was another tough test against Mali, who also boast of a stellar group stage campaign.
The Malians started on the front foot but it was still a cagey affair between the two sides who made spirited efforts with offensives and counter-offensives to take the lead.
Ivory Coast slightly had a better of the Malians going forward but could not make their dominance as Mali pulled up a sensational defensive effort while maintaining their terrific attacking flair.
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It was barren at the break but Ivory Coast were down to 10 men two minutes before the break with Kossouno sent off for a second yellow card offense.
Mali improved their game in the second half with their numerical advantage but left it till the 71st minute before breaking the goal deadlock.
Nene scored a beauty for the Malians with a curved effort from outside the box to break the deadlock.
The Malians were close to a big victory over the African giants but stumbled at the stroke of the last minute. Adingra scored the equaliser for the hosts dragging the game in extra time.
It was almost going into a shootout when Mali conceded a foul close to the box. A well-taken first effort was cleared by the Malian wall but the rebound was fired again into the box.
An unmarked Diakite needed just a slight back-heel touch of the ball to wrong-foot the Malian goalkeeper and have it roll into the net. It was a heartbreaking goal for the Malians but a gratifying and deserved goal for the hosts who defied the odds to hold off the Malians.
The game ended with Cote D’Ivoire, who were down to 10 men scraping pass the Marlians to set up a semi-final clash with DR Congo.
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