Hervé Renard Criticises Ivory Coast After Narrow Win Over Sierra Leone
Ivory Coast coach Hervé Renard was far from pleased with his team’s display in their opening match of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Elephants secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Sierra Leone in Abidjan on Saturday, but it was a performance that left much to be desired.
Sierra Leone took the lead in the 42nd minute through Kei Kamara, putting the hosts under significant pressure. It was only thanks to an inspired comeback led by Seydou Doumbia—who had recently come out of international retirement—and Gervinho that Ivory Coast managed to overturn the deficit and claim all three points.
“I don’t have much to learn from this match,” Renard told reporters after the game. “We weren’t good as a team; we needed individual brilliance to win this match. What I can say is the team did what it shouldn’t have done.”
The former Sochaux manager, who took charge of the Elephants in August, is hoping for a much-improved showing when Ivory Coast face Cameroon in Yaoundé on Wednesday for the second round of qualifiers.
Defender Souleymane Bamba also weighed in on the match, speaking to FootExpress: “We must admit the players’ form varied across the team. African qualifiers are always tough; we’ve seen it with Nigeria losing to Congo and Ghana being held by Uganda. The start of the match was complicated—we conceded a goal quickly. Fortunately, we turned things around. The important thing was to get the three points, but we know there are many things to improve.”
Ivory Coast’s starting lineup against Sierra Leone featured: Barry – Aurier, Dja Djédjé, Kessié, Boka – Kalou, Yaya Touré, Tioté, Gradel – Bony, Gervinho.
