AFCON 2023: Elephants of Cote D'Ivoire in another eye of the storm against energized Eagles of Mali

Posted : 03 February 2024

After failing to impress in the Group A matches with only one win and two losses, the Elephants of Cote D'Ivoire are gradually pushing themselves to the limit, especially with a golden winner against one of the top favorites and the defending champions, the Teranga Lions of Senegal.

Perhaps the best game played so far was the Côte d'Ivoire match against Senegal, where the team, against all odds, beat the defending champions Teranga Lions of Senegal.

Now, the Elephants have set up a clash with the Eagles of Mali in the quarter-finals of the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023 for a place in the last four.

The Elephants of Côte d'Ivoire made a quick turnaround in their campaign by knocking out defending champions Senegal in the round of 16 on penalties.

Despite knocking out Senegal, they are winless in their last three games and yet to score from open play in the process.

Côte d'Ivoire has had some decent and historic results at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake, including a 5-0 win over Madagascar in 2008.

Mali will depend heavily on forward Lassine Sinayoko, who has scored three goals in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d'Ivoire 2023.

Emerse Fae’s team has conceded six goals in their last three games and will have a lot of work to do to stop the silky Malian attack, who have scored 5 goals in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d'Ivoire 2023.

The head coach of Côte d'Ivoire, Emerse Fae, has said his team is still evolving.

"After the qualification against Senegal, we were able to take up our colors, which was very complicated for us from the very beginning. But to be able to win, especially when we went to penalties, it was actually touching.

"The Malian team is good. They have good midfielders, and we know it will be very tough, and from our side, we are tough also.

"I am not a magician, and I have never been one in any way. I’m also a young coach who knows this group very well. I have been with them for about a year and a half.

"After the drama we had against Equatorial Guinea, I had a lot of confidence in the squad, and I was able to give them adequate and appropriate words.

"We are going to prepare a team that is going to play against Mali. We will prepare in terms of quality. We have our strength, and what is important is we concentrate on our team.

Côte d'Ivoire player, Yahia Fofana, also remained optimistic about his team's chances.

"We are going to approach the game more positively. It is going to be a more difficult game against Mali on Saturday, and we are not going to underestimate them because they are good.

Mali head coach, Éric Sékou Chelle, said that the team has been able to fight their way through the process of quarter-finals.

"We are happy to be here. We have had some time to recover and to also prepare ourselves for this game, and this is also an eliminating game and is very symbolic for us, and we are expecting a lot from this game.

"We are going to play against the host country, the country organizing this tournament.

"There is one thing that is important for me: Côte d'Ivoire is part of the favorites, like I said from the beginning, they are the host country, they are the organizers and are more like the favorite.

"We are actually working before each game, especially the defense, and we are progressing every day. The strikers are also working, and it is always about teamwork.

"We have players who are not here but are always supporting us.

"This is a high level, and we are going to give a good account of ourselves.

"We are working very hard, and we all know what needs to be done. I need to give my players the right mentality. We need to move together and make sure we work in humility.

"This game is going to be an emotional game; it is going to be a match between two brothers, and I have my take on the Côte d'Ivoire team as well.

"There are players in both teams with connections from Mali, so it is going to be an emotional game.

For Lassine Sinayoko, the team is ready to go.

"We are in a good state of mind. We are all in shape, the team is doing well for this game, we are concentrated and focused for this game tomorrow.

This will be the sixth CAF Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Mali and Ivory Coast and their first since meeting in the last 16 in 2019 (1-0 win for Ivory Coast).

Mali has progressed from all five of their previous quarter-final appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations.

This is the most number of matches any team has played in this round without ever being eliminated.

Ivory Coast is through to the quarter-finals of AFCON 2023 despite losing two of their last three matches; prior to the 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in their second group game this year, they’d only lost two of their previous 19 games in the competition.

Mali may see Ivory Coast as the lesser of two evils compared to Senegal. However, they deservedly defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in the last 16; if they get past the Elephants, they’ll reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2013. They finished third then, as they did in the 2012 edition as well.

Beating the hosts, Elephant of Cote D'Ivoire, would be a real statement for a side hoping to claim their first-ever AFCON crown.

They reached the final during their first participation in 1972 and got to at least the semis in half of the 12 tournaments they’ve qualified for before this one, but glory has eluded them.

The match also promises to be a particularly emotional one for their head coach, Eric Chelle. Although a former Mali international, Chelle was born in Ivory Coast and revealed this week that he has several friends and former colleagues among the Elephants’ staff.

AFCON 2023: Elephants of Cote D'Ivoire in another eye of the storm against energized Eagles of Mali

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