Ivory Coast advanced to the semifinals on the 4th (Korea time) by winning 2-1 with a theater final goal in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2023 CAF Nations Cup against Mali at Buake Peace Stadium in Bouquet, Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast was outnumbered by central defender Odilong Kosunu in the 43rd minute, the last minute of the first half. At the 26th minute of the second half, the team lost to its opponent Nene Dorgelez by allowing the first run.
However, Ivory Coast made the reversal drama start just ahead of extra time in the second half. Simone Adingra came into the box from the right side in the 45th minute of the second half to induce Sekou Fofana's shot. After Poppana's shot was deflected off the defense, Adingra scored the equalizer in the theater.
The game went to extra time, and the game was decided again between the cardinals in the second half of extra time. Popana connected the loose ball, which flowed from a free-kick chance in the 16th minute of extra time in the second half of extra time, with a mid-range shot. It was deflected off fellow Umar Diakite and shook the net.
Diakite was sent off due to accumulation of warnings after receiving a warning for a long ceremony due to excitement. Just before the end of the game, Mali defender Hamari Traore was sent off directly, and the game was chaotic, but it ended as it was.
Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-min's Tottenham Hotspur teammate, played as a substitute, but failed to prevent his team's defeat and returned to London.
Ivory Coast, the host country of the event, is writing a crazy drama. Ivory Coast had a shocking performance in its group stage.
Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Ivory Coast, which are in Group A, got off to a fresh start by defeating the weakest Guinea-Bissau 2-0, but lost 0-1 to Nigeria and 0-4 to Equatorial Guinea, which was the sensational team of the tournament.
Coach Jang-Luis Gase, who was Hwang Ui-jo's coach during Bordeaux, who led the team for two years, was humiliated by being replaced during the tournament due to a crushing defeat against Equatorial Guinea.
Ivory Coast, which is ranked third in Group A (1 win, 2 losses, and 3 points), has entered the last round of 16 tickets given to the top four third-place teams. Ivory Coast, which barely made it to the round of 16 by ranking fourth overall among the six third-place teams, has written a drama in the tournament.
Cote d'Ivoire, which met defending champion Senegal in the round of 16, allowed its opponent Khabib Diallo to score the first goal in the fourth minute of the first half, but scored a penalty kick to Frank Kessie in the 43rd minute of the second half to lead the match to extra time. The two teams, which failed to decide the winner in extra time, also kicked the penalty shootout.
While Senegal's third kicker Moussa Niakite failed in the penalty shootout, Ivory Coast made a dramatic advance to the quarterfinals by succeeding all five kickers. In the quarterfinals, the team also produced a miraculous drama after a neck-and-neck race.
Ivory Coast's move is similar to the South Korean national soccer team led by Jurgen Klinsmann, who advanced to the semifinals at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.
South Korea also won its first match against Bahrain in the group stage, but it advanced to the round of 16 as the second-place finisher in Group E (1 win, 2 draws, 5 points) with a shocking draw in the second and third matches against Jordan and Malaysia.
In the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia, South Korea was dragged to the opponent Abdullah Radif at the start of the second half by allowing the first run, and the team was losing because it did not score until the extra time of the second half. Then, in the 54th minute of extra time in the second half, Cho Kyu-sung pushed Seol Young-woo's header pass into the header and succeeded in a dramatic tie.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Cho Hyun-woo blocked all kicks from the opponent's 3rd and 4th kickers and succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals against Australia, South Korea also scored the first run by Craig Goodwin in the 42nd minute of the first half, but Hwang Hee-chan scored a penalty kick earned by Son Heung-min in the 51st minute of the second half, taking the game to extra time. In extra time, Son Heung-min scored a free kick himself, advancing to the semifinals with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory.
Ivory Coast, which has produced dramas like Korea and Decalcomanie, is leading the team with players playing in the big leagues, including captain Serge Aurier, Nicola Pepe, Franck Kessier and Sebastien Ale.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast will play a semi-final match against another team, the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the Olympic Stadium in Ipembe, Ivory Coast, at 5 a.m. on the 8th. Ivory Coast will try to win the title for the first time in nine years since the 2015 Equatorial Guinea competition.
BY: 사설토토