Binewa Team Profile: Cote D’Ivoire at TotalEnergies 2023 AFCON

23 other teams travel to Cote D’Ivoire aiming at the Elephants, but the hosts have enough artillery to show supremacy and possibly win the AFCON 2023 on home soil come January.

Cote D’Ivoire, a country located on the south coast of West Africa, with a population of about 26. 38 million inhabitants, will play their 25th AFCON finals, out of 34 editions in January.

Tournament Bio

Cote D’Ivoire has been almost natural contenders since the Africa Cup of Nations took baby steps in the late 50s. The Elephants made their debut in the competition back in 1965, in the tournament finals hosted by Tunisia.

With joined top – scorer
Eustache Manglé, spearing the front line, the Elephants surpassed round 1 after a win against Congo and a defeat to Ghana – in the three – team group. Cote D’Ivoire then leapfrogged Senegal (0-1) to seal a third place finish. The 1968 AFCON was more of a mirror to what had obtained in the 1965 edition. The African giants qualified as runners-up in group B, behind hosts Ethiopia. The Elephants bowed to Ethiopia via a one – nil scoreline, after they had a thorough beating of Algeria (3-0), before they resuscitated to defeat Uganda (2-1).

Winners of group B – Ghana, defeated Cote D’Ivoire in the knockout rounds, albeit the lottery of penalties, then Cote D’Ivoire took their revenge on Ethiopia, defeating them to the third place.

A sketchy spell from 1970-1978 could be used to a describe the county’s deep from their usual standards. First, in 1970, Cote D’Ivoire made a backwards glide by ending fourth. They started the tournament that was hosted by Sudan, in fine fertile. However, after defeating Sudan to top group A, Cote D’Ivoire lost on post – match penalties against the Black Stars of Ghana, before losing again to then United Arab Republic, now, known as Egypt.

Three group stage finishes in 1974, 1980, 1984, intertwined – with a banned stint in 1978, and her inability to qualify in 1976, 1982, where the team didn’t enter the qualifiers phase, watered down the profile of Cote D’Ivoire.

Cote D’Ivoire was back from the shackles in 1986, making the medal table once more. The team won bronze after having ended second behind Egypt in group A, defeating Mozambique and Senegal – in the process. Cameroon legend, Albert Roger Milla however squashed the euphoria of Cote D’Ivoire fans in the semis, but the side showed great character, defeating North African side Morocco (3-2), to finish third in the tournament.

Frustrating group stage finishes once more from 1988 – 1990 seemingly helped prepare the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire for their first continental crown in 1992. Led by coach Yeo Martial, Eugene Beugre and co won group C, before slightly edging Zambia, Cameroon and Nigeria for the crown.

The team registered her 2nd fourth tournament finish in 1994, and were beaten finalists against a star stuffed Egyptian side in 2006, ending their tourney as runners-up.

23 years after their first win of the tournament, it was Yaya Toure’s turn to lead the team to glory, in Equatorial Guinea, in 2015.

For neutrals it was a good sight, for many to see the so called golden generation, finally laying hands on the trophy for the country’s second time, with prolly Drogba’s absence, the biggest regret.

The succeeding AFCON tournament in 2017 saw Cote D’Ivoire end its race at the group phase. With a new system and addition of teams in 2019, Cote D’Ivoire could only end at the last 8 of the competition, a record that got worse in 2021 when Baumelle and his lads bowed out at the R16 on penalties to Egypt.

2023 AFCON Journey

Cote D’Ivoire had already qualified as hosts of the 2023 AFCON, but the Elephants still ended second behind Zambia in group H on goals difference.

Qualifications matches

Ivory Coast 3–1 Zambia
Aurier 67′
Kouamé 76′
I. Sangaré 89’//
Daka 90+4′

Lesotho 0–0 Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast 3–1 Comoros
Kouamé 29′
Haller 61′
Krasso 89’//
Djoudja 90+3′

22:00 UTC+3
Comoros 0–2 Ivory Coast
I. Sangaré 36′
Kessié 58′

Zambia 3–0 Ivory Coast
Aurier 31′ (o.g.)
Daka 48′
Kangwa 55′

Ivory Coast 1–0 Lesotho
I. Sangaré 16′

Qualifications group

Zambia 13 pts (+6)
Cote D’Ivoire 13 pts (+4)
Comoros 7 pts
Lesotho 1 pt

Players to watch

Adingra

Exciting young winger, Simon Adingra has taken the English premier league by storm this season. More is however, expected from the ‘wing wizard’ in a Cote D’Ivoire jersey in January. Adingra has played just 5 games for the senior men’s national team, getting a goal in the process.

Ibrahim Sangare

Nottingham Forest midfeild metronome Ibrahim Sangare is highly rated. The 26-year-old is one of the finest box-to-box midfeilders in the continent, and has just that little piece of magic for the special occasions. He will look to give coach Jean Louis Gasset a good shift.
Sangare scored three times in qualifications.

Serge Aurier

Sangare’s club mate, Serge Aurier is known world-wide for long bursting runs up and down the right flank, with the ability to put in sumptuous crosses for strikers to feed on. Aurier will captain Cote D’Ivoire come January.

Frank kessie

Erstwhile Barcelona midfeilder, Frank Kessie – is unarguably one of the best holding midfeilders now in Saudi Arabia. Kessie scored once in the qualifications. He has in fact, netted 5 times and dished out two assists this season for Al Ahli Saudi.

Sebastian Haller

Erstwhile Hammer and now Dortmund poacher, Sebastian Haller, is slowly getting back to his best after suffering from a testicular cancer last year. The 29-year-old scored once in qualifications.

Wing connection: Maxwell Cornet, Nicolas Pepe, Wilfred Zaha and Evrard Kouasi

All players of same abilities but unique skills, the four aforementioned wingers are extremely quick, and could break with the speed of light on counters. Zaha has been impressive for Galatasaray after switching from Crystal Palace over the summer.

Pepe did not dazzle during qualifications, but he remains the type who can pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Coach

On may 24, 2022, Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset was appointed the new coach of the Cote d’Ivoire senior national football team.

The 68-year-old signed a one-year contract to take charge of the Elephants at the upcoming AFCON.

Former Cote d’Ivoire international midfielder Emerse Faé is Gasset’s assistant.

Gasset formerly coached french top-flight sides Montpellier, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Istres as well as Caen and came-in with a lot of experience.

Matches

Cote D’Ivoire pits Guinea Bissau in the CAN TotalEnergies opener on January 13, in group A. Games against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea will follow on the 18th and 22nd respectively.