They still came close to taking the door, but the Ivorians are well on their way to the semi-finals.
Qualified thanks to a goal from Oumar Diakité in the last seconds of extra time against Mali (1-2), Côte d'Ivoire gave itself the right to dream of an African Cup of Nations final at residence.
The right to confront, first, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Even after conceding the opener, Sébastien Desabre's men did not tremble in the quarter-finals against Guinea.
Buoyed by the equalizer from Marseillais Chancel Mbemba, then by a penalty from former Lorient player Yoane Wissa and a free kick from Arthur Masuaku, the Leopards dismissed the Guineans in the previous round (3-1).
The two teams will meet this Wednesday, at 9 p.m., for a place in the final against Nigeria or South Africa.
And these Nigerians are perhaps the favorites at the end of the African Cup of Nations.
After the elimination of Morocco and Senegal, the Super Eagles confirmed their new status in the quarter-finals.
Thanks to an achievement from Ademola Lookman, they defeated the surprising Angolans (1-0) without much trembling, securing a ticket for the last four.
The grand finale on February 11
This Wednesday, at 6 p.m., they will challenge South Africa for a place in the final.
Bafana Bafana, opposed to the Blue Sharks, finally qualified at the end of the suspense after a penalty shootout (0-0, 1-2 TAB).
They reached the semi-finals of an African Cup of Nations for the first time since 2000.
They will hope to be on the pitch at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara for the grand final next Sunday, at 9 p.m.
The day before, this Saturday, February 10, the two losers of these semi-finals will face each other to win third place.