Senegal is set to face Ivory Coast in the round of 16 of the AFCON 2023. However, for the Lions, playing against a host nation in a do-or-die match has never been a piece of good news.
The conclusion of the group stage of the AFCON 2023 was laden with emotions, finally revealing the eight matchups for the round of 16. Ivory Coast, hanging on to its qualification hopes, managed to scrape through at the last moment thanks to Morocco’s victory over Zambia. In the round of 16, the host nation will face the defending champion, Senegal. In the history of AFCON, Senegal has played seven matches against the tournament’s host nation, with a significantly unfavorable record.
Senegal Facing a Major Challenge
Having won all three matches in the group of death, Senegal is the only team to have a flawless record. But right from the round of 16, the Lions find themselves up against the host nation: Ivory Coast. Currently, the Elephants seem to struggle in the competition, but one must be wary of them, as Senegal has rarely succeeded against the host nation in AFCON.
In their history, the Teranga Lions have only won once out of seven matches against an AFCON host nation, during the famous victory in Cairo in ’86. Senegal’s first encounter against an AFCON host nation dates back to 1965, during the tournament organized by Tunisia. In the group stage, the Lions managed to hold the host to a goalless draw. Then, there was the victory in Cairo in 1986, in the opening match against Egypt. That evening, Thierno Youm scored the lone goal of the match. Unfortunately, Senegal failed to advance from their group.
Since that victory, Senegal has suffered defeats against host nations. In 1990, the Lions, led by Claude Leroy, were beaten in the semi-finals by Algeria, the eventual champion in front of its home crowd. In 2000, Senegal was once again eliminated in the quarter-finals by Nigeria. Despite Khalilou Fadiga opening the scoring in the 7th minute, a brace from Aghahowa, including a goal in extra time, knocked out Senegal.
The same story repeated in 2004. In Rades, Tunisia, Senegal was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the host nation, following a goal by Mnani. Tunisia would then go on to win the AFCON. Two years later, Senegal reached the semi-finals of AFCON 2006. But against Egypt, the Lions lost again, in a match that remains controversial today due to a clear penalty on Diomansy Kamara ignored by the referee at the end of the match. On that day, Ahmed Hassan and Zaki scored for Egypt against a goal from Mamadou Niang.
Six years ago, Senegal also stumbled
The most recent match for Senegal against an AFCON host nation occurred six years after that defeat against Egypt. It was during AFCON 2012 in Equatorial Guinea (co-hosted with Gabon), in Bata. In this Equatorial Guinean city, Senegal lost all three group matches by a score of 2-1, notably against the host nation on the second matchday.
In that match, Iyanga opened the scoring before Moussa Sow equalized in the 90th minute, seemingly securing a draw for the team led by Amara Traoré. However, in the final minute of stoppage time (90+5), Alvarez secured the victory for Equatorial Guinea, sealing Senegal’s elimination. In a group with Libya and Zambia, Senegal finished bottom.
This paints a very negative picture of Senegal against host nations in Africa, with 1 draw, 5 defeats, and only 1 victory, dating back to 1986. If only considering knockout matches, the record is even darker, with 5 defeats in 5 encounters. Outside of Africa, Senegal faced a host nation a few months ago, during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Lions emerged victorious with a 3-1 win in Al-Thumama. However, the stakes and contexts differ significantly from those in AFCON.
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