New Manchester City signing Wilfried Bony bagged a precious brace to send his nation into the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations

In a Cote d’Ivoire shirt, Wilfried Bony hasn’t been particularly prolific.

He may have racked up enough goals at club level with Vitesse and Swansea City to persuade English Premier League champions Manchester City to part with €35 million, but a return of 11 in 36 international fixtures had left many in his homeland feeling like he owed them something.

Against Algeria on Sunday, Bony netted only his second double for Cote d’Ivoire in a 3-1 win to seal a semi-final against DR Congo. His return to scoring form couldn’t have been better timed.

As a contest, it was everything it was expected to be, but Bony proved to be the difference in the end.

While Cote d’Ivoire largely deserved their win – they were bigger, they were stronger and, for long spells, they were simply better – they wouldn’t have managed it but for Bony.

First, he nodded home Max Gradel’s excellent cross midway through the first half only to see it cancelled out by a comedy piece of defending by Kolo Toure and more notably Max Bailly which led to Hilal Soudani equalising.

Soudani could have given Algeria the lead soon after but was denied by a wonderful save by Sylvain Gbohouo, and within minutes Bony was at it again. Yaya Toure, with his first memorable moment of the tournament, fired in a pinpoint free-kick from the right and the former Swansea man headed superbly home.

The Elephants’ defence showed signs of crumbling once more late on but just about held it together before Gervinho clinched the win in injury-time. Their difficulties in the rear-guard will serve as a sign that they shouldn’t by any means be considered champions elect just yet, as if they haven’t given enough examples in tournaments past as to why nothing should ever be taken for granted.

But Cote d’Ivoire are in a fourth semi-final in six attempts, and have a €35m striker back in goalscoring form. Watch out, Africa.