Ivory Coast head coach Romaric N'Dri expressed his elation after the Elephants beat Burkina Faso 2-0 in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier first leg tie played in Abidjan. Ivory Coast youth international Oumar Konaté bagged a brace in the match to secure the Ivorian advantage.
Romaric, who happens to be a former Ivory Coast international, said 2-0 is a good result to focus on the second leg. "If we had to sign for a 2-0 before the match, we would all have signed. It is a score that suits me because it allows the players to keep their concentration."
Romaric also stated that his knowledge of the opponent was minimal. “We didn't have much information about Burkina but we prepared ourselves physically to be solid in the impacts. They have an athletic but slow defense and Oumar knew how to play the shots."
The return leg hosted by Burkina Faso in Bamako, Mali will be very crucial although Ivory Coast have the upper hand. Romaric knows the difficulties surrounding the second leg. "It is true that there were difficulties but now we are in the right direction and despite the worries we must look ahead and accomplish the mission that the country has entrusted to us."
Burkina Faso coach Issa Balbone on the other hand will hope that his boys can turn the table around in the Malian capital when the two sides meet on December 28. Ivory Coast reached the quarter finals during CHAN 2022 where they lost 1-0 to eventual finalists and hosts Algeria.
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