- Ivory Coast play holders Senegal in the round of 16
- They squeezed in to the last 16 despite winning only one match
- Senegal won all their group stage matches
Ivory Coast just but managed to secure a place in the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which they are hosting. Les Elephants sneaked in as one of the four best third placed teams, and this came courtesy of Morocco’s win over Zambia in the group stages.
They won one game, a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau but lost two; against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, the latter, which ended 4-0 costing head coach Jean Louis Gasset his job.
And now, the Ivorians, under interim coach Faye Emers are looking to make the most of the second lease in life, but comes against the defending champions Senegal.
Despite the magnitude of the task ahead of them, Emers remains confident he can guide them to victory.
“We will enter the match with confidence a lot of confidence. The players know what we expect from them in the Senegal match. Côte d’Ivoire will remain Côte d’Ivoire even though we did not perform well in the group stage. If we ask Senegal which team, they want to face in the last 16, they will choose another team that occupied the best third place other than Côte d’Ivoire,” the tactician said.
Ivory Coast up against tough Senegal side
Ivory Coast players console each other after the final whistle. PHOTO/CAF
They come up against a Senegal side that won all their three group stage matches in convincing fashion.
“Things have now passed, and we must look into the future. There will be a new competition within this competition in the knockout round, and we want to progress with the new coach, who is also a big brother to us,” midfielder Jean Michael Seri said.
Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse says his team cannot underrate Ivory Coast purely based on their performance in the group stages at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The two sides clash in the round of 16 in Yamoussoukro, Senegal coming in as group winners while the Ivorians merely made through as one of the best number threes.
Cisse says the Ivorians, especially playing at home, will be a big threat and has called on his players to take the game with the same seriousness they have taken their first three.
“We qualified with nine points and the opponent with three; this does not matter. Now a new competition has begun. Côte d’Ivoire remains a major team in Africa, they have good players. The defeat in their last two matches remain just an accident, they will show another performance in front of their fans,” Cisse noted.
Ivory Coast pose major risk
Senegal players celebrate their win over Guinea. PHOTO/CAF
Defender Moussa Niakhate says as much, and notes the players know Les Elephants pose a major risk, also noting that they will come out wanting to prove their worth after the major failings in the group stage.
“The Côte d’Ivoire national team is good, and they have players with good potential, and we respect them a lot. The atmosphere is great within the Senegalese team. Everyone is in good condition. We have a wonderful group of veterans who are mentoring the young players,” Niakhate said.
On head to head record, Ivory Coast gets into the match better on paper, as they have won half of the last six meetings while losing two.
Senegal are looking to become only the third side in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations to clinch back to back titles. Victory over the Ivorians, with an expected full stadium behind them, will be another massive statement of intent from Cisse and his charges.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login