23 January 2024 , 10:39
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Didier Drogba admits "there is a real problem" after he watched Ivory Coast lose 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea - leaving their Africa Cup of Nations hopes hanging by a thread.
The tournament hosts were thumped at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, meaning they finished third in their group after picking up three points from their three group games. Ivory Coast's ambitions are now out of their hands but they can still secure a place in the knockout stage as one of the four best third-placed teams if Cameroon fail to beat Gambia on Tuesday.
Ivory Coast, despite having a recent golden generation, have only won AFCON once since 1992 - that success came back in 2015. Drogba failed to win the tournament as a player but is a national icon and remain his country's all-time top goalscorer. He expressed concern that, as hosts, they could already be out.
He told Ivorian broadcaster NCI: "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."
Ivory Coast beat Guinea in their opening game but then lost to Nigeria before their humiliating defeat in their final group outing. Head coach Jean-Louis Gasset confessed that some of his players were crying in the dressing room after their defeat.
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He said: "It’s a nightmare. 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.
Nicolas Pepe failed to inspire the Ivory Coast"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."
The Ivory Coast are hosting the tournament for the first time in four decades but could endure an embarrassing early exit. They have the likes of Franck Kessie and Nicolas Pepe in their ranks, but were still shocked by their underdog opponents.