Mali 1-2 Côte d’Ivoire: Diakite strikes at death to trample Eagles against the odds
Review
Peace Stadium
Mali
Côte d’Ivoire
| Game Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 0 | Shots on Goal | 0 |
| 0 | Saves | 0 |
| 0 | Corner Kick | 0 |
| 0 | Shots | 0 |
| Fouls |
|
0 |
| SH |
|
0 |
| 0 |
|
Fouls |
| 0 |
|
SH |
Ball Possession
Game Timeline
(AFP) Ten-man Côte d’Ivoire scored in the final minutes of regulation and extra time to confirm their place in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals for the first time since 2015, beating Mali 2-1 on home soil.
Penalties were crucial to Côte d’Ivoire’s progression to the final eight against Senegal, now in the opening stages here that same drama threatened their exit from their home tournament.
The first major decision landed at referee Mohamed Adel’s feet after eight minutes when Odilon Kossounou’s outstretched arm blocked an Amadou Haidara shot at close range.
His immediate reaction was no penalty and so a four-minute VAR review commenced, ending with the original call standing after a trip to the monitor – Haidara initially being offside the reason.
Mali were enraged, yet their mood quickly brightened when a spot-kick was given at the second time of asking, this time after Kossounou bundled into Lassine Sinayoko in the box. Up stepped Adama Traoré, though his effort from 12 yards was expertly read by Yahia Fofana, who saved low to his left.
For his role in the second incident, Kossounou had been shown a yellow card. It was on the defender to avoid any unwanted attention, though that was ultimately easier said than done as the Eagles maintained relentless pressure on their opponents.
A mistake from Jean Michaël Seri left his already-booked teammate to deal with Sinayoko bearing down on goal, again resulting in a clumsy challenge on the edge of the box as Kossounou was dismissed.
This left a few remaining minutes plus an extended stoppage time for Mali to grab an unlikely opener before half time given the history of this fixture, but it remained 0-0 at the break for the fourth time in six head to head.
Having taken in that nightmare first period, the Elephants’ interim boss Emerse Faé could only respond by rolling out personnel changes and switching to a pragmatic approach.
It made them difficult to break down though in turn, Éric Chelle in the opposite dugout turned to Nene Dorgeles – who has Ivorian roots – for inspiration.
With 19 minutes remaining, the 21-year-old produced a glorious curling finish from outside of the area into the top-right corner to stun the Stade de la Paix, following up with muted celebrations.
They finished third in their group, required penalties in the last round and once again facing the prospect of exiting AFCON on home soil, a desperate final push was required to rescue 10-man Côte d’Ivoire.
When two headed opportunities went amiss it seemed their luck had run out, however, in the 90th minute, an equaliser was crafted out of nothing to send the tie into extra time.
Seko Fofana’s first attempt from 18 yards pinballed off two defenders before falling to Simon Adringa, who clinically dispatched into the top left corner from close range.
In the 30 additional minutes both sides brought the same intensity as the prior 90, but as it unfolded both momentum and history favoured the home nation.
Sébastien Haller first came close when striking the bar with a header, then just as it seemed penalties would be required, a winner was found in stoppage time at the end of extra time.
In the most dramatic fashion, another Fofana shot crept through a crowded penalty area and was flicked in Oumar Diakite. The home support went wild, tempers flared at full time as Diakite and Hamari Traore were shown red cards each, and critically it will be Côte d’Ivoire that face the Democratic Republic of Congo for a place in the final.
Results
| Team | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Goals | Possession | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali | 0 | 1 | 1 | 61 | Loss |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 0 | 1 | 2 | 39 | Win |
MAN OF THE MATCH
🇨🇮 Oumar Diakite 🇨🇮
He did what he needed to do amazingly to win the TotalEnergies Man of the Match! 🤝#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #MLICIV | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/x4MPnxOePK
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) February 3, 2024
MATCH STATISTICS
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Mali 1-2 Côte d'Ivoire
Goals from Simon Adingra and Oumar Diakite in the 90th and 122nd minutes, respectively, ensured the host came from behind to secure a semifinal spot despite playing a man short for over 70 minutes.#AFCONWithMIAS#AFCON2023 #CAN2023 pic.twitter.com/PIz24bmP9W
— Made In Africa Sport (@madeinafricaweb) February 3, 2024
