Tournament underdogs DR Congo will hope to repeat their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) magic when they take on host nation Ivory Coast in the semi-finals of the 2023 edition of the tournament.
The Leopards drew all their three matches in Group F before knocking out Egypt on penalties in Round 16 and won Guinea in the quarter-finals.
DR Congo, two-time AFCON champions, have a 100% win record playing in the final, and won the tournament every time they defeated the host nation in the semi-finals.
They defeated the host nation in the semi-final of both editions they won the AFCON.
DR Congo will host Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-final of the 2023 AFCON, and a victory will give them a chance to rewrite history again.
The Leopards hope to be third-time lucky against the competition hosts.
With the exit of tournament favourites like; Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, and Morocco, many pundits have tipped the Super Eagles to win the 34th edition of the tournament, but DR Congo’s history at the AFCON might be a concern for Nigeria fans.
With DR Congo’s magic of winning all their AFCON finals each time they defeat the host nation in the semis, it means that Ivory Coast must ensure they stop Sébastien Desabre’s side on Wednesday at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
DR Congo AFCON Stats
. DR Congo are two times champions of AFCON and the last time they won was 50 years ago in 1974
. DR Congo have won their two AFCON trophies under similar circumstance
. In 1968, DR Congo defeated host nation Ethiopia in the semifinal and then went on to win the trophy after victory against Ghana in the final.
. In 1974, DR Congo won against the Pharaohs of Egypt in the semi-final who were also the host nation, and then remarkably defeated Zambia in the final.
. Now in 2024, the Leopards are playing the Elephants, also the host nation in the semi-final
. DR Congo has never lost the final of the AFCON in history and can they repeat history
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