Host nation, Ivory Coast, are set to take on DR Congo for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final on Wednesday, 7 February. It's been a rollercoaster of a tournament for the Elephants and the fact they find themselves in this position is somewhat a miracle. DR Congo, meanwhile, have managed to get this far despite only winning one match inside 90 minutes.
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Ivory Coast vs DR Congo H2H record
The Ivory Coast vs DR Congo rivalry isn't of the fiercest in Africa, thanks in large to the fact that they have only ever faced each other on 14 previous occasions. Their first meeting came in 1961 when DR Congo was known as Congo Leopoldville and the central African outfit came out on top in a 3-2 victory over the Elephants.
- Ivory Coast Wins: 6
- Draws: 5
- DR Congo Wins: 4
The overall H2H record between Ivory Coast and DR Congo is surprisingly close when you consider the superstars that have played for Ivory Coast over the years. DR Congo have always managed to hold their own against them and have lost just three of the last nine H2Hs.
Ivory Coast v DR Congo last five H2Hs
Ivory Coast 3-4 DR Congo – 15th October 2014
Ivory Coast and DR Congo played out a seven-goal thriller in October 2014 in a qualification match for AFCON 2015. Just three points separated the two sides in Group D so it felt like a big one coming into it. DR Congo raced into a 3-1 lead before Ivory Coast pulled it back to 3-3 after halftime despite having Franck Kessie sent off two minutes after the restart. Just as the game looked destined for a draw, Jeremy Bokila scored to give DR Congo their first win over Ivory Coast in 13 years.
DR Congo 1-3 Ivory Coast – 4th February 2015
After both teams qualified from Group D, they ended up meeting in the tournament proper. Like this year, the two teams faced off in the semi-finals with Ivory Coast coming out on top 3-1. Yaya Toure opened the scoring for the Elephants before DR Congo equalised from the penalty spot. Gervinho restored Ivory Coast's lead before the break before Wilfried Kanan secured their place in the final late in the second half. They would go on to win the tournament via a dramatic penalty shootout in the final.
Ivory Coast 2-2 DR Congo – 20th January 2017
Two years later, the nations were drawn in the same group at AFCON 2017. The Elephants were looking to defend their crown but after drawing their opening match, the pressure was on. Unfortunately, they couldn't defeat a stubborn DR Congo side either who gave as good as they got throughout. DR Congo led twice during the match but were pegged back twice by the reigning champions thanks to goals from Wilfried Bony and Die Serey.
Ivory Coast 3-1 DR Congo – 13th October 2019
After avoiding each other at AFCON 2019, the two nations played an international friendly later on in the year. Kanon and Pepe gave Ivory Coast an early 2-0 lead before DR Congo pulled one back through Chadrak Okolo midway through the second half to set up an exciting finish. Wilfried Zaha scored in stoppage time to secure the win in what was one of the better international friendly matches.
DR Congo 0-0 Ivory Coast – 18th January 2023
The most recent DR Congo v Ivory Coast H2H was played at the African Nations Championship last year which meant only players who played their football in each country's domestic leagues could participate in the match. The match ended goalless which proved to be a better result for Ivory Coast as they qualified for the knockout stages while DR Congo were eliminated. The Elephants were knocked out by Algeria in the first knockout round.
Potential MVP – Simon Adingra
Simon Adingra came to the tournament with an injury and only made his first start in the round of 16 against Senegal. He dropped back to the bench against Mali in the quarter-finals but came on and scored the all-important equaliser which took the match to extra time where the Elephants won in the dying minutes.
Adinga has been a revelation for Brighton in the Premier League this season and possesses that bit of magic that could see Ivory Coast go all the way in their home tournament.
Key trend
With the exception of their most recent clash, the Ivory Coast v DR Congo last five H2Hs tell us that this fixture is usually one full of goals. Both teams have scored in nine of the last ten matches between the two nations and if you think this trend will continue on Wednesday night then BTTS is priced at 6/5.
For more tips, check out our in-depth Ivory Coast vs DR Congo prediction.
