The Ivorian National Football team’s interim coach Emerse Fae is urging his team to approach Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinal against the Democratic Republic of Congo with the same mindset that allowed them to make a “miraculous” recovery from the brink of elimination at the tournament.
The Elephants made it to the last four after a remarkable comeback in the quarterfinals, beating Mali 2-1 thanks to Oumar Diakite’s goal in added time in extra time.
Despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half and trailing 1-0, they managed to force the game into extra time with a last-minute goal.
This victory followed their come-from-behind win against Senegal in the last 16 and their scrape out of the group stage as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Fae emphasized that their success did not happen by chance but was a result of the players’ fighting spirit and belief.
Fae took over as coach after the sacking of Jean-Louis Gasset following the team’s 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their final group game, which was their heaviest-ever home loss. Wednesday’s match will be Ivory Coast’s first at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium since that defeat.
Despite standing on the brink of elimination in the group stage, the team is now just one game away from reaching their first Afcon final since their victory in 2015. Fae admitted that while they have come a long way, it would be dishonest to say they have nothing to lose in the semifinals.
However, he remains confident that his team will not crumble under the pressure and will give their all in the upcoming match.
The Ivorian team will be without Diakite, who is suspended after being sent off for celebrating his winning goal against Mali.
Serge Aurier, Christian Kouame, and Odilon Kossounou are also banned. Fae acknowledges that these suspensions are losses for the team but is confident that the rest of the squad will step up and do their job to try to secure a spot in the final.
