Ivory Coast eliminated Senegal, the defending champion, on penalties this Monday evening (5-4) and reached the quarter-finals of AFCON 2023. Behind this feat of the Elephants is a man, Emerse Faé.
At 40 years old, Emerse Faé becomes one of the youngest coach to lead a team during this AFCON after Collin Benjamin of Namibia. Interim coach of the Ivorian national team, he takes over the reins of the team after the departure of Jean-Louis Gasset.
The Frenchman, who had a team full of pure talent, failed to use them to achieve results.
And this, until the beating they received against Equatorial Guinea 4-0 in front of their public and, at home no less. On the verge of elimination from the African Cup, the Ivorians were resurrected thanks to Morocco’s 1-0 victory against Zambia.
They therefore qualified at the last minute as the last of the four best third-place finishers.
Aware of the weight and shame aroused among the Ivorian people, the former Ivorian international made strong choices against the Lions of Teranga.
The strong choices of Emerse Faé
During this match won by his team, Emerse Faé decided to start Jean Michaël Seri, one of the most profitable choices.
In fact, the Elephants’ midfield has stabilized and improved a lot with his presence. Voted man of the match, he played the entire match and made 9 recoveries.
Then, he succeeded in 9 duels on the ground out of 15 attempts, 95% of successful passes, 90 balls touched.
The most admirable thing is that he manages to make 100% precise long balls, 100% winning aerial duels.
All this with very good lucidity throughout the 120 minutes played. Not to mention the tenure of Max-Alain Gradel and Serge Aurier and Odilon Kossounou.
Changes that pay off at the right time
Emerse Faé did not hesitate to make changes when necessary. Despite Seko Fofana’s monstrous performance in midfield, the interim coach immediately replaced him with new blood.
Entries from Adingra, Franck Kessié, Sébastien Haller and Nicolas Pépé who paid off in the final moments.
The Senegalese were cornered, suffering from fatigue from defending very low in their half of the field.
We can say that the former OGC Nice player was able to bring something new to this team.
The spirit of winning, of perseverance in not giving up until the last moment. However, let’s not forget that the players greatly played their role and even beyond.
They were all keen to bring joy back to their audience after the trauma at the Alassane Ouattara stadium. The Elephants’ next match is scheduled for February 3, and we hope they will go far in the competition. The motivation and psychological ascendancy are there after beating the reigning African champion.
