Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse has lamented the refereeing in their loss to hosts Ivory Coast, which led to their exit from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in the last 16 round.

Senegal, the defending champions, were eliminated by a revitalized Ivory Coast side in a post-match penalty shootout (5-4) following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time.

Cisse, who has been at the helm of the national team for nine years, believes that the officiating significantly contributed to their early exit from the tournament they were determined to defend.

“I believe we deserved a penalty, but the referee didn’t go to see the VAR. There was a collision in the penalty area, and then he went to see the screen. Today, the decisions were against us, but so be it,” said the 47-year-old.

How Senegal crashed out of the AFCON finals at the hands of Ivory Coast

At 11 PM East African Time on Monday, January 29, 2024, referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho of Gabon initiated the match at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium, with Senegal and Ivory Coast competing for a quarter-final slot. According to the group stage rankings, this was a clash between the first and last teams.

Just four minutes into the intense match, Senegal found themselves in the lead after Habib Diallo received Sadio Mane’s cross from the left flank, controlled it perfectly, and blasted it into the roof of the net. 

Nevertheless, the Elephants did not give up. They maintained possession and attempted to breach Senegal’s goal, albeit with no success. Second-half changes proved crucial for the Ivorians.

In the 83rd minute, former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, guarding Senegal’s goal, brought down former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe, leading to former Barcelona and AC Milan striker Franck Kessie stepping up to level the scores from the spot.

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The match concluded in a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, forcing referee Atcho to call for penalty kicks. Moussa Niakhaté missed a crucial spot kick for Senegal, while Kessie converted the winning one, sending the hosts through to the quarter-final stage as Senegal crashed out, much to the surprise of the football world.