Didier Drogba was enraged following Ivory Coast’s devastating defeat to Equatorial Guinea, which left the AFCON hosts facing a “nightmare” group stage departure.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Elephants are on the brink of a disastrous exit from the Africa Cup of Nations after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe on Monday evening. They were profligate in front of goal and leaky in defence, which prompted Drogba to emphasise the need for introspection and decisive actions to address their poor overall performance at the tournament.
Speaking to Ivorian broadcaster NCI, Chelsea legend Drogba said: “We will have to get back to work, not only asking the right questions but also making the right decisions. For football and only football because today a nation like Ivory Coast cannot organise such a competition and, of course, get eliminated so early on. But in this manner, there is a real problem.”
A ‘NIGHTMARE’ FOR JEAN-LOUIS GASSET
Ivory Coast’s head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, described the situation as a “nightmare” after two successive losses, but remains hopeful that his troops will make it through to the knockouts.
“It’s a nightmare,” Gasset said. “We had prepared well for this match and we got into this match well by going after them and setting the pace. We had possession and opportunities. But since then two matches, we want to force things, but we can’t score. On the other hand, the slightest mini-chance for our opponents turned into a goal. In football, you have to be efficient. Equatorial Guinea gave us a lesson in realism.
“Do I still believe we can qualify? Obviously. We won one match out of three, we have people who are behind us. But when you wait for the results of others, that’s not a good sign.”
Fans’ frustration boiled over as they expressed anger towards the Ivory Coast players, prompting security concerns at the stadium. Both squads were reportedly prevented from leaving the venue after the match. There was no dearth of effort from the players as they had 22 shots, but could keep only three of them on target.
WHAT NEXT?
The two-time AFCON winners still have a chance to secure a spot in the knockout phase as one of the four best third-place teams if Cameroon fail to beat Gambia on Tuesday. Gambia have lost both their opening matches to Senegal and Guinea, while Cameroon have drawn and lost one.
