Ivory Coast has shown us that miracles exist; from the group stage, they have amazed us with their great feats and luck. But their next opponent in the AFCON 2023 semifinals has not only surprised everyone with the results achieved but also with their incredible style of play. Can DR Congo stop Ivory Coast's miracle?

Here at beIN SPORTS, we bring you the most comprehensive preview between the "Elephants" and the "Leopards":

• Ivory Coast has faced the Democratic Republic of Congo five times in the Africa Cup of Nations, with this being their first encounter since a 2-2 draw in the group stage in 2017.
• In the knockout stage, the only previous encounter between Ivory Coast and DR Congo was in the 2015 semifinals; the Elephants won 3-1 and went on to win the trophy that year.
• This is Ivory Coast's tenth appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals, making them the fifth nation to play in at least 10 semifinals, alongside Nigeria (15, including this year), Egypt (13), Ghana (12), and Cameroon (10).
• DR Congo has reached its sixth Africa Cup of Nations semifinal; they have won the previous two against hosts (against Ethiopia in 1968 and Egypt in 1974).
• In the last three instances when the host nation of the Africa Cup of Nations reached the semifinals, they were eliminated without scoring a goal: Ghana in 2008 (lost 1-0 to Cameroon), Equatorial Guinea in 2015 (lost 3-0 to Ghana), and Cameroon in 2021 (drew 0-0 with Egypt and lost 3-1 in penalties). The last host to reach the final was Egypt in 2006.
• Ivory Coast reached the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Mali, scoring in the 90th and 120th minutes to win. They were only the second team to score in the 90th and 120th minutes in the same AFCON match, along with Morocco against Algeria in 2004.
• If DR Congo reaches the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, it would be their first final since 1974. This would represent the longest gap between a nation reaching AFCON finals, with Tunisia currently holding the longest wait between 1965 and 1996.
• Ivory Coast could become the first nation to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final despite suffering a four-goal defeat in the previous phase of the tournament (lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea) since Nigeria in 1990, who lost 5-1 to Algeria in the group stage before facing them again in the final that year, losing 1-0.

Don't miss Ivory Coast vs DR Congo on beIN SPORTS this Wednesday, February 7th, at 12:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM ET.