The Ivory Coast’s junior football team, the Junior Elephants, faced a significant setback as they were defeated 3-0 by the junior Squirrels of Benin in the CAN 2013 qualifiers. Captain Henri-Joël Kouadio acknowledged that his team had a “day without” and gave credit to Benin for capitalizing on the goalkeeper’s errors.
The defeat unfolded in the 3rd minute when the Ivorian goalkeeper misjudged a free kick, leading to an early goal for Benin. Captain Kouadio noted that Benin wasn’t necessarily superior to Ivory Coast but effectively exploited the goalkeeper’s mistakes.
Coach Koné Tiégbé criticized the starting goalkeeper, who was replaced at the end of the first half, stating that he “panicked the group by conceding two goals from risky outings.” Tiégbé acknowledged the team’s lack of dangerous attackers but emphasized the positive aspect of ball possession.
Despite being surprised by the heavy score, Lazardi Fousseni and his teammates, who admitted fatigue in the last fifteen minutes of the match, expressed their determination to secure qualification in the return match in Abidjan. Coach Ulrich Alohoutade, while happy with the result, remained cautious, acknowledging that Ivory Coast is a great football country.
The return match in the CAN 2013 junior qualifiers is scheduled between August 10 and 12, 2012, and will be crucial for both teams in determining their fate in the campaign.
