Considering the group stages achieved by these two teams, who would have thought they would face each other on the verge of the final?
On the one hand, the host country of the “CAN of hospitality”, was generous with its opponents in Group A. Victorious over Guinea-Bissau in the opening (2-0), they sank twice against the Nigeria another semi-finalist (1-0), but especially against Equatorial Guinea (4-0). Drafted as the worst of the best thirds, Côte d’Ivoire was able to seize its chance in eighth, and took out the reigning Senegalese champion (1-1, 5-4 after T.A.B.).
On the other hand, DR Congo did not win a single match in its first 4 (in regulation time). 1-1 against Zambia and Morocco, 0-0 against Tanzania, then in the final phase they brought down a big part of the continent, beating Egypt on penalties (1-1, 8-7 after T.A.B.) .Finally Leopards and Elephants did well and were surprise guests. Wednesday at the Olympique Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire miraculously defeated Mali (2-1), will therefore face the Republic Democratic Republic of Congo defeats Guinea (3-1) at 9 p.m. This last clash (before the final) of the CAN between Ivory Coast and DR Congo will be followed on the beIN Sports channels, and will be available live with commentary on our Figaro website.
