Sadio Mane’s Senegal have been eliminated from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after losing a penalty shootout to hosts Ivory Coast.
Both sides had different paths to the knockout stages with Senegal dominating their group while Ivory Coast qualified after finishing third behind Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
Ivory Coast’s underwhelming run was followed by the sacking of head coach Jean-Louis Gasset but they still managed to overcome the odds and pull off an incredible upset when they met Senegal in the round of 16.
The opening minutes saw Senegal take the lead with Sadio Mane assisting Habib Diallo before the latter rifled the ball into the roof of the net.
Despite a frustrating first half, Ivory Coast started to create more chances after the break and looked threatening in the final third until their pressure paid off after 86 minutes.
Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe was fouled by Senegal’s Edouard Mendy inside the box giving the referee no choice but to award the hosts a late penalty following a brief VAR review.
Mendy’s Al-Ahli teammate Franck Kessie stepped up and converted from the spot to restore parity and send the game to extra time.
With both countries failing to find the winner, the game was ultimately decided in a penalty shootout where Moussa Niakhate’s miss allowed Ivory Coast to seal qualification for the quarter-finals.
“I am disappointed after this result, especially for our players,” Senegal boss Aliou Cisse said after the game.
“We came here to win the title and play for our people. That’s football; in 2022, we were happy, and in 2024, the opposite is happening.
“Sorry to our players and to the Senegalese people. It’s tough to see the players cry in the locker room,” he added.