AFCON 2023 is coming to an end this week after a superb tournament filled with drama, outstanding goals and surprise performances from some of Africa’s best players and teams. Hosts Ivory Coast started their tournament with a win before falling to defeat against Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria, but have managed to bounce back to form with wins in the last 16 and then in the quarter-final against a much-fancied Morocco side and a tough Mali outfit.
DR Congo drew all three of their group-stage matches before edging out Guinea 3-1 in the quarter-finals – they will be looking to reach their first AFCON Final since they won the tournament as the country of Zaire in 1974.
We spoke to AFCON 1994 winner and Bet9ja Ambassador Victor Ikpeba for his exclusive take on a massive fixture before finals weekend.
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These teams will both realise exactly what is at stake
Neither Ivory Coast nor DR Congo have had it easy getting to this point in the competition, which means that winning the semi-final will mean so much more to them. Both sides have come so close to being eliminated so far – Ivory Coast were smashed 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea and sacked their coach, before qualifying for the knockouts by the skin of their teeth.
Sometimes you see teams in international tournaments have an easy run to the business end of the competition and then crash out because they haven’t faced adversity like it before, but both of these sides are aware of how unpredictable AFCON can be and how you have to concentrate for the full 90 or 120 minutes.
This will be a tight game
When you look across both teams there is a lot of quality on show. DR Congo’s forward Yoane Wissa is a player I love to watch at Brentford – he is fast, clinical, and makes life very difficult for defenders. Ivory Coast will have to be on their best behaviour at the back to keep him quiet.
Ivory Coast are the home side and will want to complete their comeback story this tournament with a win in the final, and they also have more than enough quality to get there. Nicolas Pepe was inconsistent when he played at Arsenal but on his day can make life hell for any defender with his trickery and pace. He will be playing in front of a strong midfield who can feed him along with the other players in their frontline.
I can see Ivory Coast taking this one 1-0 and giving themselves a chance at glory in the final.
Victor’s exclusive booking code: 66FQN2F (90 minutes only)
