The fact that the Ivorians are in the semi-finals is nothing short of a football miracle. Because they seemed to be eliminated more than once in this tournament. All hell is breaking loose in the capital Abidjan.
Oumar Diakité plunged his country Côte d’Ivoire into a frenzy of joy with his winning goal against Mali.
Sunday Alamba / AP
It was an explosion of emotions, the “Stadium of Peace” in Bouaké shook: the joy of an entire nation burst forth when the young footballer Oumar Diakité hit the goal on Saturday evening. He, who had been trained in the legendary talent factory of the Ivorian model club Asec Mimosas, scored the 2-1 for Côte d’Ivoire in the quarter-final game of the African Cup against Mali – in the last second of extra time. And that after the Ivoirians had had to play a large part of the game with one man less.
Côte d’Ivoire’s victory against Mali.
Youtube
The fact that the host team is now in the semi-finals is nothing short of a football miracle. Because it seemed to be eliminated more than once in this tournament. In the preliminary round, the Ivorians lost to Nigeria before going down 4-0 to outsiders Equatorial Guinea. It was only through great luck that they slipped into the knockout phase as one of the least bad third-place teams in the group. In this they then defeated the title holders, the highly favored Senegal. They also managed a late comeback in that game – with a last-minute equalizer and drama in the penalty shootout.
Suddenly veterans are in demand again, like Franck Kessié or Serge Aurier
Ironically, there was a coach on the sidelines who had been hired in times of need. Because of the general mood chaos, the Ivoirians had fired their French coach Jean-Louis Gasset after the last group game and former national player Emerse Faé stepped in. Because of the replacement coach’s inexperience there was initially some teasing. Emmanuel Eboué, also a former international, said of the current team: “These players are so talented, they just need someone to keep them in a good mood.”
Emerge Faé, Nottrainer.
Sunday Alamba / AP
There was support for the change of coach from the Ivorian team. Midfielder Franck Kessié said: “We are in a good mood again. I believe we can still achieve great things.” He, who played for FC Barcelona last season, got his regular place back under Faé, as did the veterans Serge Aurier (Galatasaray Istanbul) and Max Gradel (Gaziantep FK), who were given bench places under Gasset.
Until the miraculous turnaround, they were almost in despair in Côte d’Ivoire, after all, the whole country was in a celebratory mood when the tournament started on January 13th. At the airport, fans were greeted with singing and dance groups. There is hardly a street in the capital of Abidjan, which has a population of six million, that is not decorated with the colorful flags of the participating countries. There is no café or restaurant that does not host public viewing parties with huge televisions. There are also hundreds of busy dealers selling jerseys and flags to annoyed drivers in the city’s endless traffic jams.
They were all looking forward to an event that would bring further momentum to the country, which until 2011 had been paralyzed in many ways by a painfully long civil war. Stadiums were built and renovated and streets and hospitals were modernized for around 1.5 billion euros.
Still considered an idol in Abidjan: the former football star Didier Drogba, immortalized here as a work of art on the walls.
Sunday Alamba / AP
The tournament got off to a satisfactory start. The organization worked more or less smoothly, the standard of football was high from the start and the spectators were enthusiastic. Ticket sales were a bit slow at first, but after the online system was supplemented with analog ticket sales in supermarkets, post offices and in front of banks, the stadiums were better attended than ever before at the African Cup. If only it hadn’t been for the host’s sporting performances. But these have been a thing of the past since the spectacular change.
Being the favorite has never been good for any team in this African Cup
In the semi-finals, the Ivoirians will face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday in the new Olympic Stadium in the Abidjan suburb of Ebimpe. There is no clear favorite. The Congolese, who come without international stars, had hardly anyone on their radar for the final phase before the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Nigerians are most likely to win the title, as they face South Africa in the other semi-final. The “Super Eagles” have improved from game to game. Their highlight is the offensive with Victor Osimhen from Napoli and Ademola Lookman from Atalanta Bergamo. But be careful: being the favorite has never been good for any team in this African Cup.