Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire coaches lay down terms for Cup of Nations glory
Nigeria head coach Jose Peseiro and his Ivorian counterpart Emerse Faé opted for different rallying calls on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations final between their two sides.
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Peseiro urged his players to seize the opportunity for glory at the Alassane Outtara Stadium on Sunday night, while Faé – who was appointed following the abrupt departure of Jean-Louis Gasset – called on his squad to exploit the growing confidence within the camp following their flirtation with elimination from the tournament.
“We’ve had a difficult journey,” said Faé. “We were looking at leaving the competition but we got better after the game against Senegal. Beating Mali with 10 men also gave us confidence.”
The Ivorians will have the vociferous support of most of the 60,000 spectators in the stadium in Abidjan.
But Peseiro insisted the hostile atmosphere would not distract his players.
"We’re looking forward to a full stadium for the final," the 63-year-old Portuguese coach said. "We will look to our sacrifice and our spirit."
"It is not easy to win the Cup of Nations and when you get into the position you must fight to take it," Peseiro continued.
"It will be a tough match but the players must make the most of this occasion, because no one knows when the next opportunity will come around."
Return to form
Nigeria reached the knockout stages in second place after a draw and wins over Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea Bissau in Group A.
The Ivorians had a nail-biting 48-hour wait to find out whether they would advance as one of the four best third-placed teams after the defeat to Nigeria and a humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea.
Their fortunes have recovered since Faé's appointment and the return to full fitness of Sebastien Haller and Simon Adingra.
The duo's inclusion from the start of the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo provided the platform for their most composed performance of the tournament.
"Of course we have come from far," said Haller, who Gasset controversially included in the squad even though he was injured.
"Everybody has passed some difficult times especially after the defeat to Equatorial Guinea."
The 29-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker added: "We have to give the maximum and have no regrets. We passed close to a nightmare situation and that helps create the bonds to give us the moments we’ve had since then."
'We came to win'
Cote d’Ivoire will be seeking a third Cup of Nations trophy to add to their wins in 1992 and 2015.
The Nigerians are hunting for a fourth continental crown.
“This Africa Cup of Nations has been full of surprises,” said veteran striker Ahmed Musa, who was part of the Nigeria team that won a third title in 2013.
“The team is focused. We came here to win the Cup of Nations.”
Read also:
- 2023 Africa Cup of Nations: 5 things we learned on Day 26 - twins and a déjà vu
- DRC and South Africa bosses talk up motivation for third place at Cup of Nations
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