That was the Africa Cup of Nations at its best. It looked like it was going to be a rout early on as Senegal scored Habib Diallo inside four minutes with a fantastic strike. But the hosts, rejuvenated by the home crowd, kept pushing despite Senegal’s robust defending.
Substitutions made a massive impact and Ivory Coast earned a penalty late in the second-half. The referee needed to resort to the VAR monitor despite it being clear as day but despite the delay, Franck Kessié calmly stepped up to equalise.
Neither side could find a goal in extra-time and in the penalty shootout it was the Elephants who scored all five of their spot kicks to earn them a win. They will now play either Mali or Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals.
A host nation has not won Afcon since Egypt in 2006. We still have a long way to go but this performance has surely given the Elephants belief that they can go all the way.
That’s all from me but before you go, check out Jonathan Wilson’s report from the Stade Charles Konan Banny. Thanks for tuning in and see you next time!
Updated
Seri wins the official CAF man of the match award. He speaks in French but the emotion is so evident on his face and in his tone of voice. His teammates crash the interview, jumping around and celebrating. As they should. What a win!
