Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire clash in semis tomorrow

Ghana’s ambition to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 faces another dicey test as they play Cote d’Ivoire tomorrow in the semi-finals of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The Meteors defeated Mali 2-0 in their third group match played last Saturday to set up the clash with neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire who beat Zambia 1-0 to finish as Group B winners ahead of South Africa.

The other semi-final match will be between hosts, Egypt and South Africa.

Apart from the pride of being crowned African champions, the stakes remain high as the top three teams from this tournament will represent the continent at next year’s Olympic Games.

The winners of the semi-finals automatically pick their slots for the Tokyo 2020 Games, while the losers will engage in the third place play off, with the winner of that game also joining the train for Tokyo.