Emerse Fae, the interim coach for Cote d’Ivoire, emphasized the need for his team to press on after their remarkable penalty shootout triumph over Senegal in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations last 16.
Despite an early setback where Senegal took the lead four minutes into the game, the tournament hosts staged a comeback, with Franck Kessie’s 86th-minute penalty leveling the score. The match eventually went to a penalty shootout, where Kessie’s winning kick secured a 5-4 victory for Cote d’Ivoire.
Speaking about the challenging start, Fae conveyed his halftime encouragement to the players, urging them to maintain their approach and not be discouraged.
“We had a difficult start, conceding an early goal, but I told the players at halftime to keep playing the same way, not get confused,” said Fae.
In contrast to the previous coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, Fae took full responsibility for tactical decisions during the match, emphasizing that it was his call on what needed to be done.
Underlining the intense pressure before the Senegal showdown, Fae admitted to feeling the weight of expectations. However, the qualification after Morocco’s win in the group stage boosted the team’s confidence.
Fae warned against complacency, emphasizing the importance of continuing to work hard and maintaining morale for the upcoming matches. Despite the significant victory over Senegal, he emphasized the need to take each game as it comes.
“It was my decision on what needed to be done. With Gasset, I would give an opinion and he would make the decision,” Fae explained.
The interim boss admitted he was under intense pressure before the Senegal showdown.
“There was a lot of pressure before the match, and match day was too long for me. I couldn’t nap as usual, thinking about all scenarios. If I said there was no pressure, I would be lying,” Fae confessed.
But scraping through the group stage boosted belief before facing the champions.
“Qualifying after Morocco’s win gave us confidence. We beat Senegal and eliminated them; morale is good,” said Fae.
The caretaker coach, having orchestrated a turnaround in the team’s fortunes, is determined to ensure that this success against Senegal is just the beginning as Cote d’Ivoire aims for further AFCON glory.
“We must not stop here; we must continue working, maintain this morale, and keep playing match by match,” the coach asserted.
