Côte d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Fae has bemoaned his side’s missed chances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 defeat at the hands of Norway on Tuesday evening, www.aclsports.com reports.
In the thrilling contest, it was Norway’s left winger Antonio Nusa who opened the scoring for the Europeans before Amad Diallo provided a stunning goal to drag Les Elephants level. However, Erling Haaland carried on his World Cup scoring streak with the late goal that secured a 2-1 win over Côte d’Ivoire and set up a last-16 encounter with Brazil.
“That’s football. When you get chances, you have to score,” Fae told FIFA after the game.
”We did the hard part by equalising. Unfortunately, we conceded that goal at the end. It’s a shame. The players gave it their all and played until the very end. We were up against a spirited team that defended well and managed to secure qualification.
”At this level, it comes down to the little details. You have to stay focused from start to finish, no matter the opponent. It was everyone’s first World Cup. I think the players have learned a lot. Now, we’ll work on coming back stronger for the next challenges,” the 42-year-old tactician concluded.
Midfielder and skipper of the side, Franck Kessie, felt his side lacked composure and failed to take their chances during the course of the contest.
“This elimination leaves a very bitter taste. We had a real chance. Once again, some little details stop our momentum in the competition. It was a 50-50 game. They managed to capitalise on their chances. Unfortunately, there were moments we lacked composure.
”It was a game defined by transitions. You have to know when to slow the pace, like with Amad’s goal, which was a well-constructed move [but] we shouldn’t have only a vertical play,” the 29-year-old AFCON winner concluded.
