Defending champions, Senegal crashed out of the 2023 African Cup of Nations at the hands of hosts Ivory Coast on post-match penalties.
The game ended in a 1-all draw at fulltime and after extra time prompting the use of a penalty shootout to establish the winner.
Senegal drew first blood through Habib Diallo with substitute Frank Kessie restoring parity for the elephants late in the game from the spot. Nottingham Forests’s Moussa Niakhate was the only player to miss from the spot in the shootout, a miss that bundled the Terenga Lions out of the tournament.
There was controversy in the game when Mane’s studs-up challenge only drew a yellow card even after VAR review to the surprise of many.
Ismail Sarr thought he deserved a penalty as Senegal increased the pressure in search of the second goal. However, it was the introduction of fan’s favourite Sebastian Haller , alongside former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe and Brigton’s Simon Adingra that changed the fortunes of the game with Pepe winning the penalty that Kessie converted for the equalizer.
The hosts will meet the winner of the match between Burkina Faso and Mali in the quarter finals.
