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Ed Dove
Multiple Authors
MOROCCO — Algeria secured the inaugural spot in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals after strikes by Inès Khiri and Amira Ould Braham overturned Inès Konan’s initial goal for Ivory Coast during Saturday’s opening quarterfinal clash in Casablanca.
The Elephants, who had emerged as a major surprise in the competition, ultimately caused their own 2-1 defeat at Moulay Rachid Stadium. A combination of two errors by their goalkeeper, a red card, and a failed penalty kick collectively turned a potential win into a devastating loss.
Although this victory makes Algeria the first nation from Africa to book their spot at the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, the Ivorians remain in contention. They are scheduled to play a playoff match in Casablanca this Thursday in an effort to reach the inter-confederation qualifying round.
Prior to kickoff, whispers circulated regarding a potential strike by the Ivory Coast squad over unpaid bonuses; nevertheless, they displayed no lack of energy during an active and energetic first thirty minutes.
The Algerian side faced an early obstacle 20 minutes in when the injured defender Morgane Ikene had to be substituted for Morgane Belkhiter. Just ten minutes following the change, they conceded the opening goal when Kone courageously converted from point-blank range, capitalizing on Chloe N’Gazi’s block of Safi Ouedraogo’s initial attempt.
Algerian players argued that Ouedraogo had committed a foul in the build-up by pushing Belkhiter to the turf before releasing the shot, but the match official dismissed their protests.
Displaying greater intent on the ball, the Elephants seemed poised to extend their lead. However, their first major setback occurred right before the interval when their breakout star Ouedraogo—who had been exceptional throughout the tournament—received a harsh red card following a VAR review for high boots against N’Gazi.
Earlier in the game, the talented youngster had produced a brilliant individual goal, dancing past Lana Smits to score from a narrow angle, though it was ultimately disallowed for offside.
This scenario handed Algeria a complete second half to exploit their one-player advantage. Manager Farid Benstiti immediately made a double substitution at halftime, bringing on Khiri and Ikram Adjabi to capitalize on the situation.
The equalizer arrived shortly before the 60-minute mark. Khiri tried her luck with a long-range shot from the right wing that seemed relatively harmless, but Ivorian goalkeeper Aramatou Diakité miscalculated the trajectory, allowing the ball to slip past her at the near post.
Undeterred, the Elephants kept fighting and earned a penalty just four minutes later when Roselène Khezami made a clumsy challenge on Frederique Abrogoua. Rebecca Elloh took the spot-kick but struck her attempt past N’Gazi and directly into the post, squandering a perfect chance for the West Africans to retake the lead.
Only two minutes after that miss, they paid the ultimate price. The creative and energetic Ould Braham netted what proved to be the winning goal in the 64th minute with another shot from distance that eluded Diakite, who seemed to dive prematurely as the ball bounced over her.
The Ivory Coast players believed they had earned a second penalty when Elloh was brought down inside the area—with Algeria’s usually solid backline struggling against the direct, skillful running of the Elephants—but an offside flag ultimately rescued the Fennecs.
It proved to be a disastrous sequence of events for the Elephants, capping a highly disappointing final half-hour where they surrendered control of the match, allowing Algeria to secure their first-ever WAFCON semifinal berth and historic World Cup qualification.
