Côte d'Ivoire: What lessons from the victory against France

Yan Diomandé has a fire in his legs
Côte d'Ivoire started with a 4-4-2 at the start of the match, with Oumar Diakité and Yan Diomandé on the right and left sides and a point composed of Simon Adingra and Elye Wahi. But the game of the Elephants, as one might expect, took a left-handed turn with the twirling Diomandé which, at each of its accelerations, made Jules Koundé suffer, each time passing in front of the FC Barcelona defender. The Leipzig winger was provocative, punchy and incisive, everything he is asked to do on the left.

His counterpart was a little more in difficulty. Oumar Diakité showed a huge technical deficit on the right lane, losing many balls (7 in total). The player of the Cercle Bruges was so harmless that he was doubled at each Ivorian incursion by his right-back, Guéla Doué. 

Singo - Agbadou, an experimental hinge that worked
Enough to give work to Wilfried Singo and Emmanuel Agbadou in an experimental central hinge, but oh so monstrous and complementary. In the absence of Evan Ndicka, who is often associated with Odilon Kossounou, it was the two giants who held the Ivorian defense by their own hand.

The former AS Monaco player was interesting in anticipation and speed, especially with his excellent intervention on Kylian Mbappé in the 40th minute for a sliding tackle that prevented the captain of the blue team from finding himself in an onside situation with Yahia Fofana.

If Singo, a right-back by trade, naturally provided coverage for Doué’s offensive adventures, Emmanuel Agbadou sent him a message to the French attackers with a colossal physical impact on duels (3 won out of 4 on the ground and 2/4 in aerial duels). With the uncertainty around Evan Ndicka, who suffered a grade II tear in the hamstrings of his right leg, we could find this hinge facing Ecuador on June 14.

Yahia Fofana sublimates himself
Côte d'Ivoire has gone after Alban Lafont with a view to bringing competition to Yahia Fofana. And the arrival of the former goalkeeper from Nantes obviously does good to Rizespor who is increasingly reassuring in his cages.

Against the Blues, Yahia Fofana made a decent match, making five saves in total, respectively on Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Rayan Cherki before being beaten by the genius of Manchester City on a goal where he could not do better in the 45th minute. In this match, Fofana proved that he can excel at major events like any other great competitor and he exudes a sense of confidence in his defense.

Guéla Doué, boss size
He’s definitely the man of Thursday night’s game. Guéla Doué, who has dual nationality, played the match of his life against France, his country of birth. The right-back from Strasbourg was in his element and went on an endless series of offensive races. His game intelligence in moving is exceptional and makes the game of the Elephants even more unpredictable. It is precisely in this register that he scored when he got inside to find himself in the forward center position and score with a cool head that even surprised Mike Maignan, who was initially beaten by the Alsatian’s feint.

Scorer (53rd) and passer (84th), Guéla Doué will give work to Emerse Faé who will be forced to integrate Wilfried Singo in the central hinge, if only for the start of the World Cup. The right side, Doué conquered it.


Nicolas Pépé made a sensational entrance.

Entrants who make a difference
If Emerse Faé can leave this match with certainty, it is that several of his substitutes on Thursday night against France have nothing to do on the bench. The entries of Amad Diallo and Nicolas Pépé completely changed the face of the attack of the Elephants, and especially reversed the balance of power against the Blues who suffered only on the left in the first period with Yan Diomandé. 

Placed in N°10, Nicolas Pépé had a great time with his technical skills in the last 16 meters. Whether it was in the last pass, as with his silky little drop for Guéla Doué on the equalization, or his deviation for the latter for the victory goal signed Amad Diallo, Pépé put all his experience at the service of the Ivorian team and showed how much he has the science of tempo and a peripheral vision of the game to see spaces that the majority of his teammates do not imagine.

With his goal, Amad Diallo also proves that he remains the most clinical offensive element of this young attack by the Elephants. Attack in which Ange-Yoan Bonny proved that he can find himself a place with his entry at the 68th. In about twenty minutes, the Inter Milan center-forward showed his advantage with a flawless back-to-goal play, an impressive technical quality and a more intimidating presence in the area. He was an excellent anchor for Diallo and Pépé. There is clearly a match between him and Elye Wahi for the World Cup.

Christ Inao Oulaï also made a beautiful entrance with his carefree and fiery spirit, which allowed Côte d'Ivoire to be more incisive in transition. Where Franck Kessié and Seko Fofana often preferred to delay.

Diakité, Bazoumana Touré... the big losers
If he has always relied on the confidence of Emerse Faé despite criticism from Ivorian fans, Oumar Diakité roasted a new joker on Thursday evening with his performance against Les Bleus. In his position on the right of the attack, the Bruges winger should certainly prevent Thuram and Rabiot from shining, but he often lacked malice in his faults which were too brutal and blatant.

Coming into play in the 67th, Bazoumana Touré, who was nevertheless interesting when coming off the bench and on the same left flank at the CAN, didn’t know the difference. From technical waste to indecision, the Hoffenheim striker missed his match.

In addition to these two, Simon Adingra can also harbor regrets after his match. The Sunderland winger, teamed up with Wahi in attack was again too timid offensively and struggled to regain his confidence, just like his failed head-to-head against Mike Maignan, even if the Milanese goalkeeper took out his shot on target. The 2023 African champion could have scored points by scoring that goal, but he missed out and could pay dearly for the World Cup.