The Ivory Coast national football team is set to extend its journey in the Africa Cup of Nations as they face Mali on Saturday in the quarter-finals.
This marks their sixth encounter in the tournament, where the Ivory Coast has had the upper hand with four victories against one draw.
The “Elephants” navigated through the group stage by the skin of their teeth, finishing as one of the four third-placed teams.
They secured one win and suffered two losses, a performance that led to the departure of French coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
However, the team, boasting two African Cup of Nations titles, displayed a different face in the Round of 16 under interim coach Emerse Faé.
They delivered a formidable performance against Senegal, the defending champions and favorites, securing a 5-4 victory in a penalty shootout after the original and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw.
Historically, Ivory Coast has dominated Mali in four encounters, winning 3-1 in 1994 (Third-Place Play-off), 3-0 in 2008 during the group stage, 1-0 in the 2012 semi-finals, and repeating the scoreline in the Round of 16 in 2019.
The only draw between the two teams was a 1-1 result in the 2015 group stage.
As Ivory Coast faces Mali in the quarter-finals, they aim to uphold their unblemished record against their West African counterparts and continue their pursuit of African glory in this prestigious tournament.
