SUMMARY
- Mali was knocked out of AFCON by the Ivory Coast.
- Ivory Coast reached the semi-finals of AFCON.
AFCON quarterfinals recently concluded, and it gave soccer fans another new set of meme-worthy moments. The best moment came in the clash between Mali and Ivory Coast. The on-the-field action was overshadowed by the coaching staff of Mali.
Ivory Coast defeated Mali with a 122nd winner from Oumar Diakite. While the camp of the Ivory Coast was celebrating their victory, the camera panned to the coaching staff of Mali. The head coach Mali, Eric Chelle, was caught on camera being uniquely consoled by his assistant coach.
Mali assistant coach pour water onto the head of the manager after his country lose in dramatic fashion
byu/HeatKnight insoccer
The assistant coach was pouring water on the head of Chelle to calm him down. It is unclear whether the head coach demanded water to be poured on his head, but the whole incident became an instant meme in the soccer community.
Ivory Coast escaped Mali with a last-minute winner
Ivory Coast escaped Mali after being down to 10-man in the first half of the match. Odilon Kossounou was shown the red card in the 43rd minute. The task became even more difficult when Nene Dorgeles scored in the 71-minute for Mali.
IVORY COAST WITH A 120TH LAST MINUTE WINNER 🤯
WHAT AN AFCON TOURNAMENT
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) February 3, 2024
Simon Adingra scored in the 90 minutes for the Ivory Coast to take the game into extra time. The Elephants secured a famous victory in the quarterfinals of AFCON when Diakite diverted home Seko Fofana’s shot in the dying moments of the match.
Ivory Coast joins Nigeria and South Africa in the semi-finals of AFCON
Ivory Coast joins Nigeria, South Africa, and DR Congo in the semi-finals of the AFCON. Nigeria will face South Africa in the first semi-final on February 7 at the Stade de la Paix stadium. Ivory Coast will face DR Congo on the same day. Their match will start at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé three hours after the first semi-final.
Ivory Coast’s run in this AFCON has been nothing short of sensational. They lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea in their final group-stage match. They finished 3rd in Group A with 2 losses and only one win. The hosts have secured only one win within 90 minutes.
Ivory Coast at AFCON:
– Lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea
– Lost 2 of their group games and finished 3rd
– Manager resigned
– Conceded in 4th min against Senegal and went on to win on penalties
– Comeback against Mali with 10 men
– Only one win within 90 minutesThey are through to… pic.twitter.com/8YXQqkixq0
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) February 3, 2024
Ivory Coast came back from behind to defeat Senegal and Mali in the knockout stages. They are now among the favorites to win the tournament due to their strong home support. The final of the tournament is set to take place at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé on February 11.
If Ivory Coast can win the whole tournament after winning only one match in the group stage. It will go down as one of the most surprising triumphs in AFCON history. Judging by how unpredictable the tournament has been throughout, any one of the four semi-finalists can win the title from this point.