Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa completed the semifinal pairings of the ongoing Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, as the curtain fell on the group stage on Friday night.
Cote d’Ivoire will take on Ghana’s Black Meteors in the first semifinal on Tuesday (19 November 2019), while South Africa set an intriguing date against hosts Egypt later on the same night.
Les Elephants finished Group B on top, after defeating Zambia 1-0 at the Cairo international Stadium, as they raised their tally to six points, leaving losers Zambia with a lone point at the bottom.
Kouadio Dabila scored a perfect header at the hour mark to send the Ivoirians to the semifinal, aiming at a place in next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Meanwhile in a simultaneous kickoff at Al Salam Stadium, South Africa and Nigeria settled to a barren stalemate. The South Africans raised their tally to five points in second place, one more than title holders Nigeria who were forced to surrender the title they achieved four years ago in Senegal.
