Almost eliminated in the first round, Ivory Coast, host of the African Cup of Nations, is miraculously only one step away from consecration.
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He is the symbol of Ivorian resilience. Returning to the field a year ago after overcoming cancer, Sébastien Haller gave Côte d’Ivoire the goal of qualifying for the final of the African Cup of Nations. The Elephants, miraculous and on the verge of elimination numerous times, retain the hope of a third title, after those of 1992 and 2015. They will try to win it, Sunday February 11, against Nigeria.
Côte d’Ivoire has experienced incredible scenarios almost at every turn of this CAN. Their inaugural victory against Guinea-Bissau (2-0), however, suggested fewer difficulties in qualifying for the round of 16. But the Elephants then lost against Nigeria (1-0), and especially against Equatorial Guinea, with a slap, 4-0, leaving some players in tears at the end of the match, and angry supporters at the end. exterior of the stadium.
“We were in a devastated locker room with clashes outside. I saw the little ones on their cell phones to get news from their families. They were scared. We must never go through that again! We were on the verge of a catastrophe , Frankly […] People were going to our hotel, to the Federation, there were tires on the road plus police officers everywhere”, tells ex-coach Jean-Louis Gasset to L’Equipe, three weeks after the meeting and his resignation in the middle of the competition. That day, Ivory Coast were third in their group with three points and their destiny was no longer in their hands. To be drafted among the four best thirds, the Elephants then had to count on a favorable alignment of planets.
“We were tearing down the walls”
The wait lasted two days for the group stage to end.“It was very, very hard for us. We were at the hotel, we were close to the walls to go eat.”recognized Serge Aurier to AFP. Salvation came from Morocco, which thanks to its victory over the Zambians (1-0), prevented its evening opponents from overtaking and eliminating Ivory Coast. While the Moroccans were celebrated by Ivorian supporters, the atmosphere was much less festive behind the scenes, with the Ivorian Federation appointing Emerse Faé as the new coach after hours of hesitation.
The ex-deputy barely had time to get into the bath when a big piece appeared on the road to his selection: Senegal, reigning champion. It did not take more four minutes to the Senegalese to open the scoring thanks to Habib Diallo. But as since the start of the CAN, the Elephants have come a long way again. They snatched an extension thanks to a penalty at the end of the match converted by Franck Kessié (86th). Still tied on the scoreboard after 120 minutes of play, the two teams were decided on penalties. Under terrible pressure, the Ivorians then all converted their attempt, unlike Moussa Niakhaté, frustrated by the post. One more step taken.
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In the quarter-finals, against Mali, the locals did it again. Trailing 1-0 until the 89th minute, outnumbered since the break, they snatched extra time thanks to Simon Adingra (90th). But no penalties this time, Oumar Diakité appearing in added time of overtime (120th + 3) to deflect a shot from Seko Fofana into the Eagles’ goal. The euphoria is then total. The player loses his temper and even receives a second warning for expulsion because of his celebration.
Scenes of jubilation then occurred throughout the country. “We feel that we are a united country, even if we experienced difficult moments especially after the match against Equatorial Guinea, where we received insults, we were at the bottom of the hole. But we are happy to have written the story”welcomed Seko Fofana before entering the final square. “They have this energy and also because it is necessary in football, this little bit of luck”then admitted Eric Chelle, the coach of Mali.
“I think that mentally, when you are resurrected like we were, there is nothing that scares you anymore, we go for it, we go,” then confided Serge Aurier before the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo. As if Côte d’Ivoire had regained control of its boat, it was without hesitation that it validated its ticket for the final, winning certainly by the smallest of margins (1-0), but in the regulation time.
“We have a great team, we have champions in this team, because we were able to find this mental strength and give the people what they deserve”, enjoyed Seko Fofana after the semi-final. Of the African champions, there are in reality only two in the Ivorian squad, Serge Aurier and Max-Alain Gradel, already present in 2015 during the last continental coronation, and who would like to share a new title with this new generation.