Ivory Coast will once again have to ensure, this Monday, to secure qualification for the round of 16. The Elephants could also face a real setback. We explain.
Defeated by Nigeria on the second day of the group stage (1-0), Ivory Coast faces Equatorial Guinea on Monday, January 22. In order to avoid any anxiety and the fear of being eliminated from their own Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivorians must accumulate points against the Nzalang Nacional.
Ivory Coast under significant threat
The idea of seeing the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations take place without Ivory Coast is unthinkable for the Elephants’ supporters, who are hosting this edition at home. Teammates of Seko Fofana could have secured their precious ticket to the competition’s round of 16 against Nigeria on the second day of the group stage. Unfortunately, the Ivorians lost 1-0 to the Super Eagles.
This defeat complicates the fight for the first place in the group, but it does not officially eliminate them from the race to the CAN round of 16. Currently third in their group with 3 points, Jean-Louis Gasset’s proteges face Equatorial Guinea (2nd with 4 points) on Monday, January 22.
The equation is simple for the Elephants: a victory would automatically qualify them, while a draw would place them in the position of the best third. With 4 points and a favorable goal difference (+1, while other teams ranked third are in the negative), this should be enough. Even in the event of a defeat against Nzalang Nacional, qualification hopes would not completely evaporate, but the Ivorians would lose control of their destiny. They would have to hope that four teams do not finish in third place with four points.
Ivory Coast’s coach is confident
In the pre-match press conference on Sunday, Jean Louis Gasset, the coach of the Elephants, expressed his confidence: “We must have confidence; we play in front of our home crowd, we must believe. We have confidence in the group, and little by little, we are getting key players back like Haller and Adingra.”
Facing a “cunning” team from Guinea-Bissau, Gasset will opt for an offensive approach: “We will attack to win. We are currently in 3rd place, and our destiny is in our hands. We know that if we win, we will qualify,” he declared.
The French coach also commented on the defeat (0-1) of his team against Nigeria. “It took a day to digest the previous match,” he said. “We explained to the players that in an important match, scoring first is crucial. Once Nigeria scored with their only shot on target, we had to make the means to equalize. We have digested this defeat. All teams are with their backs against the wall.”
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