Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé criticised Germany for a lack of fair play during their 2-1 World Cup defeat at BMO Field after left back Nathaniel Brown refused to return the ball following an injury stoppage.
Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé criticised what he called a lack of fair play from Germany following his side’s 2-1 defeat at BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday, in a World Cup group stage match that had appeared to be slipping away from the German side until a late turnaround.
Faé was angry after his defender Wilfried Singo put the ball out because he was injured, but Nathaniel Brown, the German left back, decided not to give the ball back to Ivory Coast and instead launched a German attack with a throw-in.
“I told him to stay humble,” Faé told reporters after the game. “He had a great game, and he doesn’t need to talk badly to us because he is losing or at 1-1 because he wants to win. We would have liked more fair play from Germany. We would have liked them to give us the ball back when Singo got injured. They are a great football nation, and we take example from them, so I was disappointed by their lack of fair play.”
A Match Ivory Coast Nearly Won
Ivory Coast appeared one step ahead of Germany for most of the match, with midfielder Franck Kessié’s first-half goal silencing German fans for a long stretch. But Deniz Undav scored the winning goal, his second of the match, to send the German side of the crowd into celebration.
Despite his frustration over the incident, Faé was gracious in defeat. “Both teams deserved to win and had the chances to win the game,” he said. “Well done to Germany. They won the game because of their experience. We had a great game, and I am really proud of how my players play against one of the favourites of the competition.”
“We could have scored a second goal at 1-1, but we missed our chance. But they scored theirs. Undav was so calm when he took his chance. That’s experience. We still have our destiny between our feet, and we could qualify without having to rely on other results.”
What Comes Next
Having missed the chance to clinch a knockout stage berth for the first time in four World Cup appearances, Ivory Coast now turn to their final group match against Curaçao on Thursday. Win, and the Elephants are through.
Forward Amad Diallo said the squad will move past the Germany result. “We have respect for ourselves, but we want to make history for Côte d’Ivoire,” he said. “The priority now is we are really focused on ourselves. It’s going to be a very hard game.”
Curaçao sit 83rd in FIFA’s rankings, well below 31st-ranked Ivory Coast, and were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in their own opening match. Diallo added: “It’s going to be a big moment for everyone, for this new generation, because we know we have quality in the team.”
Source: ESPN
Related Articles:
