Ivory Coast complete stunning extra-time comeback to beat Mali and book semi-final spot

Ivory Coast's 10-man team secured their spot in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time since 2015 by scoring in the last moments of both regulation and extra time. They emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over Mali on their home turf.

Ivory Coast's progress to the final eight against Senegal was heavily influenced by penalties. However, in the opening stages of their home tournament, they faced the threat of elimination due to a similar penalty drama.

The first major decision came after eight minutes when Odilon Kossounou's outstretched arm blocked a close-range shot from Amadou Haidara. Initially, the referee, Mohamed Adel, did not award a penalty. However, after a four-minute VAR review, the original decision stood, with Haidara being offside as the reason.

Mali was furious with the decision, but their mood quickly changed when a penalty was given upon a second appeal. This time, Kossounou bundled into Lassine Sinayoko in the box. Adama Traore stepped up to take the penalty, but his shot from 12 yards was brilliantly saved by Yahia Fofana, diving low to his left.

Kossounou received a yellow card for his involvement in the second incident. It was crucial for him to avoid any further unwanted attention, but the relentless pressure from the Eagles made it difficult. Eventually, a mistake from Jean Michael Seri led to Kossounou's dismissal as he made a clumsy challenge on the edge of the box.

With a few minutes remaining in the first half, plus extended stoppage time, Mali had the opportunity to take an unlikely lead. However, considering the history of this fixture, it remained 0-0 at halftime for the fourth time in six head-to-head matches.

After enduring a challenging start to the game, Elephants' interim manager Emerse Fae made strategic changes and adopted a more practical approach. This made it difficult for the opposition to break them down. On the other side, Eric Chelle, the opposing team's coach, turned to Nene Dorgeles, who has Ivorian roots, for inspiration.

With only 19 minutes left on the clock, the 21-year-old player produced a magnificent curling finish from outside the penalty area, placing the ball perfectly into the top-right corner of the net, leaving the Stade de la Paix stunned. Despite the goal, the celebrations were subdued.

The team finished third in their group and had to rely on penalties in the previous round. Once again, they found themselves on the brink of elimination from the AFCON tournament on their home soil. A desperate final effort was needed to save the day for the 10-man Ivory Coast team.

When two opportunities from headers went astray, it seemed as though luck had abandoned them. However, in the 90th minute, an equalizer was conjured out of thin air, sending the match into extra time.

Seko Fofana's initial shot from 18 yards ricocheted off two defenders before falling to Simon Adringa, who calmly dispatched the ball into the top left corner from close range.

During the additional 30 minutes of play, both teams maintained the same level of intensity as in the previous 90 minutes. As the game unfolded, the momentum and history seemed to favor the home nation. Sebastien Haller came close to scoring when his header struck the crossbar. Just as it appeared that the match would be decided by a penalty shootout, a last-minute winner was found in stoppage time at the end of extra time.

In a truly dramatic fashion, another shot from Fofana managed to find its way through a crowded penalty area and was deflected into the net by Oumar Diakite. The home crowd erupted in celebration, and tensions ran high at the final whistle as Diakite and Hamari Traore were both shown red cards. Importantly, it will be Ivory Coast who will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the quest for a place in the final.