Africa Cup Of Nations
Result: Cote d'Ivoire 1-1 Algeria (Algeria won 4-3 on penalties)
Date: 11 July 2019
Venue: New Suez Stadium
Algeria claimed a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Ivory Coast to secure a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. The Elephants came agonizingly close to taking the lead in the sixth minute when Max Gradel found a pocket of space on the edge of the box and curled the ball towards the left-hand corner, but it was brilliantly saved by Raïs M'Bolhi, who deviated the ball on to the post and out with his fingertips. Algeria had their first opportunity in the 14th minute courtesy of some magic from captain Riyad Mahrez. The Man City winger played a one-two with Youcef Belaili and surged in to the box but dragged his effort slightly wide of the left-hand upright. Despite that chance for Mahrez, it was all Ivory Coast, who came close again in the 18th minute. Mamadou Bagayoko got to the byline down the right and squared the ball for Wilfried Kanon, whose close-range effort was brilliantly blocked. But the Desert Foxes broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 20th minute. Bagayoko failed to clear his lines and Bensebaini pounced on the ball, got to the byline on the left-hand side and cut the ball back for Sofiane Feghouli, whose first-time left-footed effort nestled in the left-hand corner Shortly after the half-hour mark, Ibrahim Sangare headed over from Gradel's corner as he could not rise high enough to meet the ball properly. The Elephants could not be criticised for a lack of endeavour and in first-half stoppage time, Gradel's snapshot was straight at M'Bolhi unfortunately for him. Immediately after the break, Algeria won a penalty when Baghdad Bounedjah was uprooted by Elephants goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohou. Bounedjah dusted himself off but his spot-kick hit the crossbar before going over. Belaili's long-range curler went narrowly wide of the left-hand upright on the hour-mark and soon afterwards Bounedjah headed straight at Gbohou. The Ivorians equalised in the 62nd minute. Zaha went on a mazy run upfield and fed the ball to Kodija, who rifled the ball with his left foot in to the bottom left-hand corner, with Algerian goalkeeper M'Bolhi getting a touch to the ball but was unable to prevent it from going in. Soon after, Belaili delivered a wicked free-kick in to the box but several Desert Foxes players were unable to get on the end of it as it went harmlessly out for a goal-kick. In the 65th minute, Bounedjah found himself through on goal after being played in by he impressive Belaili, but he was thwarted by the outcoming Gbohou. Soon after, Algeria broke quickly on the counter-attack before Bounedjah passed to Mahrez, whose right-footed shot looked destined for the back of the net only for it to be heroically cleared off the line by Wonlo Coulibaly. With just under ten minutes to go, Belaili fired over from a promising position before Feghouli forced Gbohou in to a decent save after being played in by Mahrez. The sides could not be separated in regular time and so the match went to extra time. In the 96th minute, the ball was played forward by the Algerians to Belaili, who chested it in to the path of Feghouli, but his volley blazed wildly wide The Desert Foxes responded with a chance of their own in the 114th minute when Feghouli whipped in a cross to the back-post for substitute Islam Slimani, whose header back across goal forced Gbohou in to a smart save Chances were coming thick and fast. The Elephants won a free-kick after substitute Wilfried Bony was fouled by Adlène Guédioura. Gradel swung in the free-kick and Cheick Comara rose highest to meet the ball but his header skimmed the top of the crossbar. With the last kick of open play, Algerian substitute Andy Delort's free-kick grazed the left-hand upright as the match went to penalties. Wilfried Bony missed Ivory Coast's third penalty before Belaili missed Algeria's fourth. However, Serey Die missed Ivory Coast's fifth as the Desert Foxes emerged victorious.
