DR Congo is eliminated by Haller’s goal, sending Ivory Coast to the AFCON 2024 final.
Borussia Dortmund striker Haller made his tournament debut after suffering an injury in the 65th minute at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium. His shot looped over the goalie and in. Haller was linked by a cross from Max-Alain Gradel.
All of it was sufficient to end a heated but competitive semifinal match. The Ivorians will now play Nigeria at the same location on Sunday to determine the winner.
A squad that was on the verge of elimination in the group stage, the two-time winners have made an incredible comeback to become the first host nation to reach the Cup of Nations final since Egypt in 2006.
DR Congo, on the other hand, suffered a heartbreaking loss. Ever since they emerged victorious as Zaire in 1974, they had dreamed of making their debut in an AFCON final.
Prior to this match, Ivory Coast’s interim coach Emerse Fae, who took over for the fired Jean-Louis Gasset after the team’s disastrous group stage performance, called the team’s progress in the tournament “miraculous”.
This was their first game at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium on the dusty outskirts of Abidjan since they were humiliated and on the verge of elimination following a 4-0 loss by Equatorial Guinea on January 22.
As the final team among the top four third-place teams, the Elephants managed to make it to the round of 16, whereupon they defeated the defending champion Senegal.
They then defeated Mali in the quarterfinals, even though they only had ten men for the majority of the game. Their victory came in extra time.
Along with captain Serge Aurier, Odilon Kossounou, Christian Kouame, and others, Oumar Diakite—who scored the game-winning goal against Mali—was sent off during his celebrations.
The players that came on were Haller, the star striker who was now totally healthy, and Brighton winger Simon Adingra, who scored the equalizer against Mali.
In their most recent AFCON semi-final appearance, in 2015, DR Congo was seeking revenge for their 3-1 loss to the Ivorians.
