The verdict has now been given; the DRC will play against the host country. Ivory Coast secured their ticket painfully with a two-to-one victory, the winning goal being scored in the last minute of extra time by Oumar Diakité. The Elephants were reduced to 10 men following the sending off of their central defender Odillon Kossounou who received two yellow cards.
Ivory Coast finds itself in the semi-finals after having miraculously qualified for the round of 16 as one of the four best-ranked third-place teams. The DRC and Ivory Coast meet in the semi-finals 9 years after the 2015 AFCON. The Leopards had lost 1 to 3 to the Elephants. The two teams met again in 2017, seven years hence. During that AFCON hosted in Gabon, they were in the same group. The two teams ended up with a draw at two goals each, thanks to Congolese goals by Junior Kabananga and Neeskens Kebano. The semi-final match between the DRC and Ivory Coast is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7, 2024, starting at 20:00 GMT, 21:00 Kinshasa time, at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan.
Joseph Bahati