A surprising 4-0 defeat in the hands of Equatorial Guinea on Monday evening has put Ivory Coast in a precarious situation of potentially failing to qualify for the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Elephants, who won their opening game against Guinea Bissau 2-0, have dropped drastically after losing their second game to Nigeria before Monday’s disappointing performance in front of their home fans in Abidjan.

The hosts finished Group A with three points, whereas Equatorial Guinea topped the group with seven points, just ahead of Nigeria on goals difference, as the Super Eagles also defeated Guinea Bissau 1-0 to secure points from a possible 9.

Nigeria, on their part, drew 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea in their opening game before beating the hosts and piping Guinea-Bissau, who now leave the competition without a win.

Nigeria’s victory ensured that Ivory Coast would have had to win to qualify, but after going down in the first half, the best Ivory Coast could do was score two disallowed goals and concede four.

Emilio NSue opened the scoring before the break, while Pablo Ganet doubled the advantage in the 73rd minute, while Nsue scored his fifth goal of the tournament two minutes later.

Janick Buyla scored a fifth with two minutes of regular time left as the Elephants will now need a huge miracle in the next three days to see where they stand among the other third-placed teams.

Only four countries in the history of the AFCON have hosted and exited the tournament in the group stage: Ethiopia (1976) and Ivory Coast (1984). Tunisia (1994) & Gabon (2017).

Equatorial Guinea will face a third-placed side from Group C, D, or E in the last 16 on Sunday. Their best performance at an Afcon tournament was in the semifinals as hosts in 2015. Nigeria could be facing the runners-up in Group C, and it could be Senegal, Cameroon, or Guinea on Saturday night.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu