Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae has expressed his frustration after being eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals by Egypt.
The Pharaohs triumphed over the Elephants with a 3-2 victory at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, setting up a titanic encounter against Senegal in the semifinals of the continental showpiece.
It promises to be a thrilling clash, as both teams will be yearning for victory to secure a place in the finals of the tournament, being held in Morocco. The match between Egypt and Senegal is a repeat of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon, where the Taranga Lions triumphed over the Pharaohs to clinch their first AFCON title.
After being eliminated from the tournament, Fae, who guided the Elephants to AFCON 2023 success has frowned at his team for conceding ‘foolish’ goals against the North African country.
“Of course we feel frustrated and disappointed when we lose, but we have known the Egyptian national team for a long time. I have known them since 2006 and they are always like this. It is about crying, complaining and acting.”
“They have the experience in that and they do it well, and good luck to them if the referees fall into the trap of their style of play, and we cannot control this kind of thing,” Fay stressed.
“The frustrating thing is that we knew them well and that they would not play and would stand back to defend and then hit us with counter-attacks and then fall to the ground to act and waste time.”
“I am annoyed that we conceded such foolish goals, goals resulting from lapses in concentration that we are not used to making, and that is the hardest part of the match.”
Ivory Coast will now have to turn their attention to the upcoming 2026 World Cup tournament to be staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
