YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast beat Senegal 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra-time in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Monday night.
The win saw the Elephants
progress to the quarterfinals of Africa's biggest football tournament.
The hosts will now go head-to-head
with either Mali or Burkina Faso in the last eight on 3 February at the Stade
de la Paix in Bouaké.
Senegal, on the other hand,
crashed out of the tournament as their hopes of successfully defending their
Afcon title were dashed and they will now travel back home after a shock exit.
It took just four minutes for
the Lions of Teranga to take the lead after some great work by Sadio Mane.
The two-time CAF Footballer of
the Year set up Habib Diallo who was afforded space and time to fire home to
hand Senegal a 1-0 lead.
The Elephants responded by exerting pressure on the Lions of Teranga with Seko Fofana driving the hosts forward.
The Al Nassr midfielder was
able to test goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who made a great save to deny Fofana in
the 40th minute and the score was 1-0 to Senegal at halftime.
Ivory Coast created the better
chances after the restart with Mendy forced to pull off a fine save to deny
Franck Kessie in the 73rd minute.
Pressure was mounting on
Senegal as Nicolas Pepe was sent through on goal in the 77th minute and he was
also denied by Mendy.
The Elephants continued to
push for the equalising goal and they were awarded a penalty after Pepe was
fouled by Mendy in the box.
Kessie stepped up and beat
Mendy from the spot-kick to make it 1-1, and the game ended in a draw in
regulation time, and extra-time followed.
The two teams attacked each
other in extra-time, but there were no goals and the match was decided by a
penalty shootout.
Ivory Coast won 5-4 on
penalties with Kessie scoring the winning penalty as Moussa Niakhate became the
only player to miss during the shootout.
Senegal: Mendy,
Jakobs, Koulibaly, Diallo (Dieng 118'), Niakhate, Matar Sarr, Camara (I Gueye
87'), Ismaila Sarr (Ndiaye 96'), Diatta, Mane, Diallo (Jackson 67').
Ivory Coast: Y
Fofana, Konan, Kossounou (Singo 116'), Ndicka, Aurier, Seri, S Fofana (Kouame
79'), Sangare (Kessie 73'), Gradel (Adinga 64'), Diakite (Pepe 65'), Krasso
(Haller 72').
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