In the semi-final match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, February 7, the native of Yamoussoukro is expected to have more playing time and continue his incredible rise. This goal scored in the quarter-final against Mali will not be a goal for football academies, but rather for the archives of Ivorian football history. They will tell how 22-year-old Simon Adingra equalized in the last minute of regular time to allow his country to continue their dream of winning a third star. A goal that lit up the stadium in Bouaké, which had certainly never experienced such a crazy afternoon.

Simon Adingra had also never experienced such a whirlwind of emotions. “I can’t explain what I felt. It went from zero to 10, from 10 to zero. It goes up, it goes down, it’s incredible,” he said.

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[CAN 2024: Nigeria-South Africa, Ivory Coast-DRC… While Ivorians worried about his absence due to injury or because of his club Brighton (English Premier League), the striker showed his determination to play in the CAN in his home country. “I can’t express the pride I feel about having to go onto the field to represent the nation. The rumors that Brighton would hold me back are completely false.

I am motivated to represent my country. I work extremely hard every day to recover from my injury,” Adingra had posted to reassure his supporters at the end of December. It was necessary to be patient and especially to remain powerless in the face of the rout of the humiliated teammates in the first game. Simon Adingra, in “recovery,” was forced to watch the first two Ivory Coast matches from the stands.

During the match against Equatorial Guinea (4-0), he was thrown into the sinking ship in the 87th minute, only to come out with tears that moved the Ivorians. Convincing in his entry in the round of 16 against Senegal, decisive against Mali in the quarter-finals, Simon Adingra could have his chance this Wednesday in the semi-finals against
[. He, who has only played 71 minutes since the start of the CAN, seems to not want to stop on such a good path. “We want to go to the final,” he emphasized after Ivory Coast’s qualification for the semi-finals.