The Ivory Coast women’s national football team faced a devastating defeat against Mali on Saturday, with a scoreline of 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifiers for the 2014 Women’s African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Namibia. The Elephants, who have historically struggled to advance beyond the first round of the CAN, were taken aback by their opponents, who have reached the final phase of the competition on six occasions.
Former Elephants captain, Gnago Jeanne, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 4th minute of the match. Nahi Estelle (71st minute), Nrehi Tia Inès (81st minute), and Elloh Rebecca (85th minute) further dashed the hopes of Mali’s comeback.
The return leg of the qualifiers for the 2014 Women’s CAN in Namibia is scheduled for the weekend of February 28 to March 2.
Expressing determination ahead of the next match, the national coach of the Elephants, Touré Clémentine, declared her ambition to surprise the Malian team at a press conference on Wednesday. “We will assert our style of play,” Touré asserted.
