Sunday | February 4, 2024

Ivory Coast came from a goal behind to defeat Mali 2-1 at a packed to the rafters Bouaké Stadium in Abidjan on Saturday,  Feb. 3, 2024.

Backed by animated throngs of the home fans, the Elephants [Ivorians] thundered in Bouaké with 10 players for the most part of the game.

Odilon Kossounou got a second bookable offense and received his matching orders in the 43min of the first half. Mali had a one player advantage but the scores were still goalless.

Then the Eagles [Mali] capitalized on this and drew first blood with Nene Dorgeles strike in the 71st minute against a 10-man Ivory Coast.

However, the hosts threw the kitchen sink at the Malians. In the stroke of the 90th minute, Simon Adingra level matters (1-1) to take the game to extra-time (ET).

Although Males dominated ball possession,  they buckled under immense Ivorian pressure right in the very end of ET and Oumar Diakite’s 122th minute goal gave the home side a 2-1 lead.

Diakite was booked for the second time in the match for celebrating the goal with a jersey off and got his matching orders, leaving  Ivory Coast with nine men on the field.

Right at the stroke of the final whistle (125 minutes) Hamari Traoré was sent off for decent when he charged toward the referee and remonstrated.

Ivory Coast’s next challenge is Democratic Republic of Congo in the semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2024.