Frank Kessie on Monday scored the winning penalty for Ivory Coast to knock out defending champions Senegal from the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 in a penalty shootout.
It was Kessie’s second successful spot-kick of the match after going on as a substitute to equalize for 1-1 in regulation time with his 86th-minute penalty in Yamoussoukro.
Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate missed the titleholder’s third penalty in the shootout, while all five of the home team’s penalty takers scored to win 5-4 and set off joyful celebrations at Charles Konan Banny Stadium and beyond.
Photo: AFP
Players danced on the field and supporters danced in the stands.
Street parties broke out in Abidjan, where drivers honked their horns and fans danced, cheered and blew vuvuzelas.
People watching the game on large screens in Abidjan’s Treichville neighborhood screamed, jumped up and down, and hugged each other. Some ran for the sake of running. Some cried tears of joy. Others shook plastic chairs above their heads.
Photo: AP
The hosts got off to a bad start when Habib Diallo took Sadio Mane’s speculative cross on his chest and fired the ball inside the top-left corner in the fourth minute.
Mane was booked shortly afterward for a studs-up tackle on Ibrahim Sangare and TV replays showed he was fortunate to receive just a yellow card.
The Elephants pushed hard for an equalizer with Seko Fofana leading the charge, but the team lacked a Didier Drogba-type striker to really cause problems for the excellent Senegal defense.
Photo: AFP
The hosts got their break when Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy conceded a late penalty for missing the ball and bringing down Nicolas Pepe. Referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho initially felt there was no foul, but changed his mind after a video check.
Kessie scored from the spot to keep the Elephants in the tournament.
Ivory Coast barely qualified for the knockout round thanks only to results in other groups. They also fired their coach and tried unsuccessfully to hire another.
Photo: AFP
Interim coach Emerse Fae, a former Ivory Coast midfielder, got off to a good start.
“Given where we come from, conceding this very early goal could have sunk us. My players reacted well,” Fae said.
Senegal were the only team to win all of their group games and arguably looked like the strongest contender.
“We made the match complicated for ourselves,” Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said. “Disappointed with the result for my players and for our people, because we came to win this Africa Cup... It’s a shame that we lost the thread having opened the score, but in victory as in defeat, you have to remain dignified, and I’m proud of my players.”
Fae’s team next face Mali or Burkina Faso, who were to play their last-16 match after press time last night. South Africa and Morocco were to play after that, with Cape Verde waiting in the quarter-finals after Ryan Mendes scored a late penalty for the Blue Sharks in their 1-0 win against Mauritania.
Mendes scored from the spot in the 88th minute after Mauritania goalkeeper Babacar Niasse brought down substitute Gilson Benchimol, who was through on goal after a defensive mistake.
It was Mauritania’s first ever Africa Cup of Nations game in the knockout stage.
The Lions of Chinguetti defeated Algeria 1-0 last week for their first-ever win on their third appearance in the tournament.
Cape Verde had a good start, but failed to really trouble Niasse.
Roberto “Pico” Lopes marshaled the Blue Sharks’ back four and produced an important tackle to stop Sidi Bouna Amar with Mauritania’s best chance of the first half in the 42nd minute.
Souleymane Anne had an even better chance midway through the second half, but was unable to make the most of Sidi Amar’s through ball.
Cape Verde finished strongly as Mauritania tired from their exertions. Ibrahima Keita was their second player stretchered off in the 80th minute after Omare Gassama in the first half.
Cape Verde surprisingly won a group that included heavyweights Ghana and Egypt.
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