10-Man Ivory Coast Stages Remarkable Late Comeback to Beat Mali 2-1 and Reach Africa Cup Semis

Ivory Coast's forward #14 Oumar Diakité (C) takes his jersey off as he celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 quarter-final football match between Mali and Ivory Coast at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
Ivory Coast's forward #14 Oumar Diakité (C) takes his jersey off as he celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 quarter-final football match between Mali and Ivory Coast at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
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10-Man Ivory Coast Stages Remarkable Late Comeback to Beat Mali 2-1 and Reach Africa Cup Semis

Ivory Coast's forward #14 Oumar Diakité (C) takes his jersey off as he celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 quarter-final football match between Mali and Ivory Coast at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
Ivory Coast's forward #14 Oumar Diakité (C) takes his jersey off as he celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 quarter-final football match between Mali and Ivory Coast at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on February 3, 2024. (AFP)

Oumar Diakité scored in stoppage time of extra time to send 10-man Ivory Coast into the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a dramatic 2-1 win over northern neighbor Mali on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved four penalties in the shootout for South Africa to also advance by beating Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties after their quarterfinal match ended 0-0 after extra time.

After playing with 10 men for the entire second half and extra time, tournament host Ivory Coast actually finished the match with nine players as Diakité was booked for excessive celebrations amid scenes of unbridled joy among nearly 40,000 fans in the Stadium of the Peace in Bouaké.

It was Diakité's second yellow card, meaning he will miss the semifinal match against Congo on Wednesday.

Simon Adingra had equalized with Ivory Coast’s first shot on target in the 90th minute to send the match to extra time, and Diakité completed a thrilling comeback by scoring in what was the 122nd minute of the game.

“If it continues like this, I think we can do nice things,” Diakité said, referring to another remarkable recovery.

The Elephants came from behind to knock out defending champion Senegal on Monday. Ivory Coast had barely qualified for the knockout stage thanks only to results in other groups. It also fired its coach and tried unsuccessfully to hire another.

Ivory Coast was heading for a disappointing exit Saturday after Mali substitute Nene Dorgeles broke the deadlock with a brilliant strike from distance inside the top right corner in the 71st.

The Eagles had enjoyed a player advantage from the 43rd, when Odilon Kossounou was sent off with his second yellow card for a tactical foul to stop Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko.

Kossounou’s first yellow came earlier after conceding a penalty for his challenge on Sinayoko. Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana saved Adama Traoré’s spot kick.

The penalty scare prompted more commitment from Ivory Coast, which had been outplayed, but Mali’s defense largely coped with the Elephants’ charge, especially after Kossounou was sent off.

Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra was untroubled until Adingra prodded the ball home after Seko Fofana’s initial effort was blocked.

It prompted an explosion of joy in the stadium. Security had to haul away a photographer who left his position to join in the players’ celebrations.

Fans watching on large screens in Abidjan flipped into party mode, jumping, dancing and celebrating, but the real party only started after Diakité’s late winner.

South Africa’s penalty hero

Hero goalkeeper Williams saved the Blue Sharks’ first three spot kicks, while Zakhele Lepasa hit the crossbar with South Africa’s second and Cape Verde ‘keeper Vozinha saved Aubrey Modiba’s effort from the third.

Bryan Teixeira then scored for Cape Verde to level the shootout at 1-1, but Mothobi Mvala scored the next for South Africa and Williams sealed the Bafana Bafana’s win by saving Patrick Andrade’s penalty.

South Africa will play Nigeria on Wednesday in its first Africa Cup semifinal match for 24 years.



Kane Hat Trick against Augsburg Hides Bayern's Concerning Lack of Goals

Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
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Kane Hat Trick against Augsburg Hides Bayern's Concerning Lack of Goals

Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK

Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday.
The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14, The Associated Press reported.
The England forward is the fastest player to 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game.
However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0.
Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline.
“We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.”
Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd.
Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another.
It’s Bayern’s sixth consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League.
“You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.”
Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup.