Senegal are set to take on hosts, Ivory Coast, in the AFCON 2023 round of 16 on Monday 29 January. Ivory Coast have had a turbulent tournament so far, to say the least, with the Ivorian Football Federation sacking Jean-Louis Gasset after a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea. Senegal, meanwhile, have won every match at the tournament and go into this clash as firm favourites despite the Senegal vs Ivory Coast last five H2Hs favouring the Elephants.
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Senegal vs Ivory Coast H2H record
The Senegal vs Ivory Coast rivalry has been ongoing for nearly 60 years with the first clash between the two nations coming in the 1965 Africa Cup of Nations. The two sides met in the third-place playoff with Ivory Coast coming out on top thanks to a goal from Yoboué Konan. Ever since, Ivory Coast have continued to dominate the H2H.
- Senegal Wins: 8
- Draws: 3
- Ivory Coast Wins: 14
The two sides have played each other in the Africa Cup of Nations four times, with two matches coming in the tournament proper and two coming in qualifying. Ivory Coast have won all four of these encounters which gives Senegal even more incentive to get one over their old rivals on Monday night.
Senegal vs Ivory Coast's last five H2Hs
Senegal 0-2 Ivory Coast – 13th October 2012
The last time the two nations met in the Africa Cup of Nations was in the final round of qualifying for AFCON 2013. The match was played over two legs and after the first leg, Ivory Coast had a 4-2 lead. The Elephants were even better in the second leg away from home, winning 2-0 to win 6-2 on aggregate and secure their place at the 2013 tournament. On the night, Didier Drogba was the star of the show, scoring two second-half goals for his country.
Ivory Coast 3-1 Senegal – 12th October 2013
A year later the two sides met in World Cup qualifying. Once again, it was a playoff situation played over two legs with the winners earning the right to play at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Ivory Coast raced into a 3-0 lead before Papiss Cisse scored for Senegal in the 96th minute to give the Lions of Teranga a glimmer of hope going into the second leg on home soil.
Senegal 1-1 Ivory Coast – 16th November 2013
In the second leg in Senegal, the hosts had it all to do but when Moussa Sow made it 1-0 from the penalty spot in the second half, their fans were dreaming of pulling off the ultimate comeback. Unfortunately for them, their attempts to find the all-important second goal never came to anything and Solomon Kalou netted for Ivory Coast in injury time to cement their place at the World Cup.
Senegal 1-1 Ivory Coast – 27th March 2017
The most recent friendly match between Senegal and Ivory Coast came in 2017. Both teams were gearing up for crucial World Cup qualifiers and were both at different ends of their respective journeys. Ivory Coast's ‘golden generation' was on the way out while Senegal's youngsters were dreaming of creating their own dynasty. The match finished 1-1 with Senegal's goal coming from Sadio Mane and Ivory Coast's goal coming from Gohi.
Ivory Coast 0-1 Senegal – 14th January 2023
The most recent Ivory Coast vs Senegal H2H came last year in the African Nations Championship which meant only players from their respective national leagues could play. Senegal won the match – their first victory over Ivory Coast in 17 years and their first in a competitive match since 1985. However, given the restrictions on players, many Ivorian fans will claim it doesn't necessarily count. The goal on the night came from Moussa Ndiaye who has since signed for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Potential MVP – Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane is by far Senegal's record goalscorer and to many, their best player of all time. He may not be at the peak of his powers anymore but he has still managed to contribute at least one goal or assist in each of Senegal's matches at AFCON 2023 so far. He will be their main threat again on Monday night and the player the Ivory Coast will be most wary of.
Key trend
Over the years, Ivory Coast have had a stranglehold over Senegal as can be seen through the Senegal v Ivory Coast last five H2Hs. There has never been a better time for Senegal to record their first win over Ivory Coast in AFCON history given the varying fortunes of the two sides at the tournament so far. We are going for a Senegal win with both teams to score.
For more tips, check out our in-depth Senegal vs Ivory Coast prediction.
