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Cote d’Ivoire midfielder, Jean-Michael Seri says despite the team advancing on penalties, what matters is the fact that they have qualified for the quarter finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

Seri was speaking after his side emphatic 5-4 victory following a 1-1 stalemate against Senegal where he was awarded the TotalEnergies Man of the Match award in Yamoussoukro.

 “We did not start the match well, and after we conceded the goal, we responded to that, and we took control of the match, with a team performance. It doesn’t matter how we qualified, what matters is that we qualified”, said the midfielder.

“We were just calm. At halftime, the coach asked us to continue in the same way. We were very solid and united and fought for our nation. The important thing is that we qualified for the quarter-finals. Côte d’Ivoire qualified for the next round, and this is the most important thing for me”, concluded the midfielder.

Hosts Cote d’Ivoire pulled off a monumental upset by defeating defending champions Senegal 5-4 on penalties after extra time to advance to the TotalEneriges CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

In front of a raucous home crowd at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, Senegal made a blistering start and took the lead just 4 minutes in.

A superb cross from Sadio Mane found Habib Diallo, who calmly chested the ball down before firing a rocket into the top corner.

Stunned by conceding so early, the hosts gradually grew into the game with neat interplay in midfield between Franck Kessie and Jean Michael Seri.

Ibrahim Sangare posed a constant threat on the wing while strikers Sebastien Haller and Nicolas Pepe stretched Senegal’s defence.

The Elephants had the better of the first half but despite several near misses, a Senegalese wall of Kalidou Koulibaly and Abdou Diallo repelled everything thrown at them. 0-1 at halftime.

Senegal almost doubled their lead early in the second half when a speculative Ismaila Sarr effort forced a fingertip save. But Cote d’Ivoire were unfazed and continued pressing.

The game turned on a pivotal 86th minute moment. Pepe burst into the box and was clumsily brought down by Edouard Mendy.

After VAR reviewed the incident, Franck Kessie coolly sent Mendy the wrong way from the spot to equalize and send the home crowd into ecstasy.

In extra time, chances came and went for both sides but the scores remained level. In the shootout, each side netted their first 4 penalties. But when Kalifa Coulibaly’s effort came off the upright, Kessie stepped up to smash home the winning kick, capping a remarkable turnaround for the hosts.

After a disastrous group stage, Cote d’Ivoire showed tremendous resilience and spirit to dethrone Senegal, who will have to relinquish their title. The Elephants march on, redemption complete.

Few gave the Elephants hope coming into this last 16 clash against star-studded Senegal.

But led by captain Serge Aurier, the spirited hosts fought until the end and rode their luck at times against profligate opponents.

This result blows the tournament wide open. The defending champions are out, and the unfancied hosts march on in dramatic style.

MATCH FACTS:

• Côte d’Ivoire have played their 11th penalty shoot-out in the Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team in the competition. They have won five of these 11 shoot-outs, with only Egypt having a higher tally (6).
• Côte d’Ivoire have reached the quarter-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations edition for the 11th time in their history, with no team having played more quarter-finals in the competition (Ghana, Tunisia and Nigeria also at 11 each).
• Senegal will not be playing in the quarter-finals of an Africa Cup of Nations edition for the first time since 2015 (eliminated in the group stage). This is the seventh consecutive edition in which the title holder have failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the last team to reach this stage of the competition being Egypt in 2010.
• Habib Diallo’s goal after 4 minutes was the earliest Côte d’Ivoire had conceded in an Africa Cup of Nations game since Rashidi Yekini’s goal against Nigeria in 1990 (third minute). It was also the earliest goal conceded by a host nation in an AFCON match since the one conceded by Ethiopia against DR Congo in the 1968 semi-final (third minute).
• Scoring after 3 minutes and 15 seconds, Habib Diallo has scored Senegal’s earliest goal in a knockout game at the Africa Cup of Nations.
• Franck Kessié is the first Côte d’Ivoire player to score a penalty goal in the Africa Cup of Nations since Didier Drogba in 2006 against Morocco, and the first to do so in a knockout game since Lucien Kassi-Kouadio, also against Morocco in the match for the third place in the 1986 edition.
• Sadio Mané has delivered his third assist in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the highest tally for a player from Senegal at a single edition since Opta collects this data (2010). Since his debut in the competition in 2015, he has been involved in seven goals in the knockout phase (3 goals, 4 assists), more than any other player over that period.

A late Ryan Mendes penalty gave Cape Verde a dramatic 1-0 victory over Mauritania to book their place in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Monday.

In a tense last 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 as the game entered the closing stages.

Cape Verde had dominated possession and chances, with Jovane Cabral having a goal disallowed for offside in the opening minutes. But Mauritania’s defence held firm.

As the match wore on, Cape Verde continued to press while Mauritania posed threats on the counter attack. Both sets of passionate fans roared their teams on, but a winner still eluded both.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute when Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse brought down Gilson Tavares in the box.

Up stepped captain Ryan Mendes to smash home the penalty and make it 1-0.

With the Mourabitounes now forced to chase the game, Cape Verde stood firm to see out a famous victory and advance to the quarter-finals for the second time, where they will face either Morocco or South Africa on Saturday.

MATCH FACTS

• Cape Verde have won their first knockout game ever at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (after losing 2-0 each time, against Ghana in 2013 and against Senegal in the 2021 edition). The Blue Sharks have won three of their last four AFCON encounters (D1), more wins than in their first 11 (D6 L3).
• Mauritania have not found the net in 70% of their CAF Africa Cup of Nations games (7/10), only Guinea-Bissau register an higher ratio (75% – 9/12) among the teams which have played at least 10 encounters in the competition’s history.
• Cabo Verde have attempted 18 shots against Mauritania tonight, their highest tally at the same CAF Africa Cup of Nations game since 2010. At the opposite, the Almoravids have attempted 11 shots without a single one on target, only Ghana have fired more shots without finding the target in the same AFCON encounter since 2010 (16 shots, none on target v Côte d’Ivoire in final of the 2015 edition over 120 minutes).
• Ryan Mendes has scored the second latest penalty goal in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout game (87 minutes and 53 seconds) since Opta began to collect these data (2010), after the one scored by Javier Balboa (92 minutes and 6 seconds) with Equatorial Guinea v Tunisia on 31 January 2015 in quarter-final (2-1).
• Sidi Amar (Mauritania) have made eight tackles against Cabo Verde tonight (3 won), the joint-highest tally in the same 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations game, equaling Aïssa Laïdouni with Tunisia v South Africa. Out of the last three AFCON editions, only Adama Guira (9 with Burkina Faso v Cameroon in January 2022) has made more tackles in a same encounter in the competition.

The blockbuster showdown on Monday in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 will see Senegal resume their title defence when they take on Ivory Coast at Charles Konan Banny Stadium.

The winner of this clash between Africa’s football heavyweights will move on to the quarter-final, where they will face either Mali or Burkina Faso, who square off on Tuesday evening in Korhogo.

The game will kickoff at 20:00 GMT.

Match preview

It is just over a year since Senegal beat the Ivory Coast 1-0 at the CAF African Nations Championship, and they will be looking for a similar performance this time to take them just three wins away from defending their AFCON title.

While surprise packages Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde claimed most of the headlines in the group stages, The Lions of Teranga were superb over their first three matches and emerged as the only team in the competition to win all three group stage matches.

They kicked off their AFCON campaign with a solid 3-0 win in match one against Gambia before outclassing Cameroon 3-1 in the second game and capped off an excellent round-robin performance with a 2-0 victory over Guinea.

With just one goal conceded in the group stages, The Lions of Teranga have the joint-best defensive record in the competition, and that was also the only goal they conceded in their last seven matches in all competitions.

Aliou Cisse‘s side will now be looking to make it four wins in a row in this competition, which is a record that was last achieved by Algeria in the 2019 edition when they went on to lift the trophy.

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast’s AFCON has got progressively worse and are only still alive in the competition due to Ghana’s terrible form, which allowed them to clinch the final third-placed team qualification spot.

The Elephants made a bright start to the tournament, as they claimed a 2-0 opening round win over Guinea-Bissau, but they were unable to build on that performance and were beaten in match two by Nigeria.

However, a shocking 4-0 loss in their final group stage match followed and led to the Ivory Coast Football Federation opting to sack Jean-Louis Gasset as manager before the final qualification places were even confirmed.

Nevertheless, they managed to qualify for the round of 16 as the fourth-best third-placed team, and interim coach Emerse Fae has been handed the task of keeping The Elephants AFCON title hopes alive.

While all indicators suggest that the hosts may struggle to beat the Teranga Lions, history is in the Ivory Coast’s favour as they have played Senegal twice in this competition and won on both occasions (1965 and 1986).

Senegal Africa Cup of Nations form:

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Senegal form (all competitions):

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Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations form:

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• L
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Ivory Coast form (all competitions):

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Team News

Marseille’s Pape Gueye had to leave the field of play due to injury in Senegal’s 2-0 win over Guinea, and the midfielder was also not seen in training in the week, which casts doubts over his involvement in this match.

Attacker Abdallah Sima has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament due to a thigh injury, which likely means that Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo will lead the line, flanked by Sadio Mane and Ismaila Sarr.

With a new coach at the helm, changes are expected for the hosts in this match, but they are likely to remain without Sebastian Haller, who has yet to feature in this competition due to an ankle injury.

Serge Aurier will be one of the players hoping to be restored to the starting 11 after being left as an unused substitute against Equatorial Guinea, while Nicolas Pepe could drop to the bench after a poor showing in the last match, which raised question marks about his fitness level having just returned from injury.

Senegal possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, A Diallo, Jakobs; P.M Sarr, Gueye, Camara; I Sarr, H Diallo, Mane

Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:
Y Fofana; Aurier, Diomande, Ndicka, Konan; S Fofana, Sangare, Kessie; Kouame, Krasso, Boga

We say: Senegal 2-0 Ivory Coast

The hosts were fairly fortunate to reach the last 16, but we feel their competition will come to an end here. Senegal came through the group stages with flying colours and have looked a cut above most of the teams remaining in the competition. We are expecting another dominant performance here from the defending champions.

Source: sportsmole.co.uk

Cape Verde seek to match their best Africa Cup of Nations showing when they face Mauritania in a round of 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Monday.

The Blue Sharks surprisingly topped Group B despite the presence of multiple-time winners Egypt and Ghana, while the Lions of Chinguetti stunned 2019 champions Algeria to secure passage to this stage for the first time in the nation’s history.

The game will start at 17:00 GMT.

Match preview

One of the fascinating observations about Cape Verde at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been the Blue Sharks’ tendency to pick results in different ways.

Bubista‘s men left it late to defeat Ghana 2-1 in a game they edged on chances and overall performance, outdid Mozambique due to superior finishing and were reactive and responded impressively to nick a point off Egypt in their final group fixture.

Scoring late against the Black Stars and the Pharaohs suggests the Blue Sharks never stop playing until the final whistle, standing them in good stead in knockout football.

Having never made it past the quarter-final stage, Bubista’s side could match their 2013 performance with victory over the Mauritanian side as they seek their first victory in the competition’s knockout rounds on Monday.

The Blue Sharks netted three goals in the 2013 finals in South Africa, a tally they have outdone by four at AFCON 2023, and the strikes coming from different goalscorers indicates that Bubista’s side do not rely on one player to deliver the goods, adding to their unpredictability.

As for Mauritania, Monday’s game is a historic event for the Lions of Chinguetti, who had never played a knockout game at the continental showpiece but booked their spot with a stunning 1-0 triumph over Algeria in their final group game.

Amir Abdou is proving his worth on the continent as the go-to guy to have minnows punching above their weight, having taken lowly Comoros to the last 16 at the previous finals with an unforeseen victory over Ghana.

The tactician’s adeptness at coaching a compact side gives them a fighting chance against any opponent, and they seek to keep surmounting challenges on their path to a quarter-final spot.

The Lions of Chinguetti have not only scored more than once in a game at AFCON 2023 — losing 3-2 to Angola — but became the third side to make the knockout rounds despite losing their opening two matches of the competition, joining DR Congo (2019) and Comoros (2021), the latter managed by Abdou.

It remains to be seen if Mauritania show the compactness from their tournament opener against Burkina Faso or a more attacking approach in the loss to Angola, but this side cannot be disregarded in tournament football.

Cape Verde Africa Cup of Nations form:

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Cape Verde form (all competitions):

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Mauritania Africa Cup of Nations form:

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• W

Mauritania form (all competitions):

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• D
• D
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• L
• W

Team News

Garry Rodrigues (against Ghana) and Bryan Teixeira (against Egypt) have scored second-half stoppage-time goals for Cape Verde, and Bubista’s in-game changes could swing the tie in the Blue Sharks’ favour.

Bebe has not featured for the Group B winners since going off injured in the victory over Mozambique, and the former Manchester United man is touch-and-go for Monday.

Abdou’s men can look to Aboubakary Koita, whose ball-striking provoked the cracker against Angola, and the wide attacker’s dribbling saw him complete the most take-ons in the group stage.

The Lions of Chinguetti pair Ibrahima Keita (12) and Omare Gassama (11) made the most tackles, underscoring Mauritania’s controlled aggression out of possession.

Mohamed Dellahi Yali, match-winner against Algeria, is touch-and-go for Monday after suffering an injury in the 1-0 success over the Fennecs.

Cape Verde possible starting lineup:
Vozinha; Moreira, Costa, Lopes, Paulo; Duarte, Pina, Monteiro; Mendes, Tavares, Cabral

Mauritania possible starting lineup:
Niasse; Keita, El Abd, Ba, Abeid; Gassama; Bouna, Thiam, Mouhsine, Koita; Anne

We say: Cape Verde 2-0 Mauritania

Despite Abdou’s coaching, Mauritania are not expected to stop Cape Verde’s attacking unit, with the Blue Sharks having too much for the Lions of Chinguetti to secure their first-ever knockout victory.

Source: sportsmole.co.uk

D.R Congo have knocked out Egypt from the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 after defeating them 8-7 on penalties in the round of 16. 

Stade Laurent Pokou was blazing throughout the 120 minutes the game was played. 

Meschack Elia scored to put D.R Congo into the the lead in the 37th minute. He headed home from the six-yard box to score the game’s opening goal. 

The Pharaohs showed what they are made up of by responding to D.R Congo’s lead in the first half. 

Egypt were awarded a penalty after VAR review. Attacker Mostafa Mohamed made no mistake as he converted it into the top right corner. Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau was beaten. 

The seven time champions despite their second half dominance couldn’t break down the resilient D.R Congo defense.

Game finally traveled to extra time, the very first one of the tournament in Côte D’Ivoire. 

Egypt were reduced to 10-men in the extra-time after Hamdi Mohamed was sent off following his second yellow card of the game. 

The numerical disadvantage didn’t prevent Egypt from pressing and creating the chances. 

Game travelled to shootout and Egypt missed twice from the penalty spot, Mostafa Mohamed and goalkeeper, Gabaski both missed their kicks, Arthur Masuaku had  missed his earlier for D.R Congo. 

D.R Congo won 8-7 on penalties and have progressed to the quarter-finals. 

Egypt have twice failed to advance from the Round of 16 in three previous attempts. D.R Congo progress having been eliminated in their first knockout game in their two previous appearances (2019 and 2017). 

Sebastien Desabre’s men will now face Guinea in the last 8.