Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo and South Africa slug it out on Wednesday in the semi-final ties to determine which two countries will play in the final in the 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) taking place in Cote d’Ivoire.
While Nigeria takes on South Africa, hosts Cote d’Ivoire will play DR Congo in the tournament that has turned out to be the most exciting and unpredictable in the history of the Cup of Nations.
To qualify for the semi-final, Nigeria beat Cameroon 1-0 in what many Nigerians celebrated as fitting revenge against a country that had twice denied them the deserved opportunity to win the tournament.
First was in the 1988 tournament in Morocco when a goal from the header of Nigeria’s Henry Nwosu was ruled offside, and that gave the Cameroonians a chance to score and win the final of that year. The second time was in Lagos in the Year 2000 when a goal from a penalty kick by Victor Ikpeba was overruled by the referee during the penalty shootout against Cameroon. The resulting tie between the two countries led to extra-penalty kicks, which Cameroon wrapped up and won the tournament of the year.
Cote d’Ivoire qualified for the semi-final after they emerged the surprise winners in the quarter-final match between them and highly rated Mali by beating Mali 2-1 in a game that went into extra-time. Cote d’Ivoire had earlier on defeated defending champions, Senegal, who were one of the favourites for the championship in the round of 16. Cote d’Ivoire had performed dismally in the group stages when they lost two of their three matches to Nigeria and Equitorial Guinea. The country wasted no time in firing their coach. But luck came in for the country when they qualified from the group stages among the best losers.
DR Congo qualified for the semi-finals by beating Guinea in the quarter finals. DR Congo emerged as surprise semifinalists and may spring a surprise against Cote d’Ivoire, whose glory in African football has greatly dimmed.
The fourth semifinalists, South Africa, beat Tunisia another tournament favourite to qualify for the semifinal. Their performance has not been scintillating however. But their elimination of Tunisia put a seal on any hope of a North African side winning the tournament this year despite always being highly rated.
One thing that emerged out of this tournament was that there were no big boys. Favourites and top rated countries like Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Cape Verde, Tunisia and Algeria dropped out in earlier stages. Serial AFCON winners, Egypt lost in the round of 16. Egypt had won the tournament a record seven times and they looked set to sail easily to another final when they were struck down. Ghana, five times winners lost in the group stages.
Egypt’s Mohammed Salla and Victor Osimhen, two leading goal scorers in Europe who were expected to hit targets failed to score in the tournament.
