Sébastien Haller scored a memorable winner to send host country Ivory Coast through to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final after a 1-0 victory over Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday night.
The Borussia Dortmund striker scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute with a volley that bounced down into the ground and up over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. Haller went close twice more before the final whistle, directing a near-post header onto the roof of the net and seeing an audacious lob drift narrowly wide as the Leopards’ tournament bid ended with a whimper.
Ivory Coast had sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset before scraping through the group stage, and had needed late goals against both Senegal and Mali to progress to the semifinal.
Interim coach Emerse Fae now has a chance to guide the Elephants to a third continental title, adding to their triumphs in 1992 and 2015, when they face three-time champions Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abidjan on Sunday.
Nigeria had reached the final earlier on Wednesday after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over the Bayana Bayana of South Africa in Bouake.
