Ivory Coast, with a perfect first round of three wins from three matches, are wary of the team that awaits them in Saturday’s quarter-final, surprise qualifiers Equatorial Guinea.
The Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts, in their competition debut and with their mix of naturalised players, stunned Senegal 2-1 to clinch the runners-up spot in Group A after their opening 1-0 defeat of Libya. They lost their closing game 1-0 to table toppers Zambia.
Ivory Coast in contrast topped Group B with defeats of Sudan and Burkina Faso, with their second XI seeing off Angola on Monday to top the table.
On paper this quarter-final looks like a mismatch, with Ivory Coast ranked the best team on the continent and 16th in the world while their opponents, rated no-hopers before battle began, come in a lowly 42nd and 150th respectively.
Assessing the potential banana skin that awaits them on Saturday Ivory Coast manager Francois Zahoui said: “We’ve come here to play six ‘finals’ and we expect to suffer in each of them.
“Saturday’s game will be difficult against the co-hosts.
“They’ve got nothing to lose. We are going to remain focused because our objective is to win and to go as far as possible.”
Asked if he was relieved to have made it into the last eight Zahoui replied: “The relief will come when we win the title.”
Ivory Coast are looking to shed the unwanted tag of ‘chokers’ earned after they were stopped in the semi-finals by Egypt in 2008 and by Algeria in the quarter-finals in 2010.
Their only title came back in 1992.
Zahoui said: “If we don’t make it to our destination all that we will have achieved will count for nothing.
“We’re keeping our heads on our shoulders. I’ll be happy when we’ve reached our objective which is to provide pleasure to the Ivorian people.
“We want to make it and we won’t be satisfied with a couple of wins, that doesn’t count for anything.”
Against Angola Zahoui opted to give nine of his ‘reserve’ players a run out, with the only regulars in the starting line-up being centre-backs Kolo Toure and Souleymane Bamba.
Kolo Toure, older brother of 2011 African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure, captained the team in the absence of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou was grateful for the rest after limping off against Burkina Faso last Friday.
Emmanuel Eboue and Wilfried Bony scored for the Elephants,
Reflecting on his decision to switch his personnel Zahoui said: “I’ve always said that I’ve come here with 23 players and that’s why after each match we organise friendlies (for the reserves) against local teams to improve our choice.
“I’m going to have problems in choosing but I prefer to have that type of conundrum than not at all.
“That’s a problem for the coach, it’s going to provide me with some sleepless nights.”
Discussing whether he was going to stick with his 4-4-2 formation against Equatorial Guinea he commented: “It’ll be up to me not to get the tactics wrong for our next match. The system depends on the players who carry it out.”
