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AFCON

Cote d’Ivoire interim coach, Fae demands fast start against giant-killing DR Congo –

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Cote D’ivoire Confirms ‘interim’ Manager Fae As Permanent Coach -

On the cusp of a historic Africa Cup of Nations final, Cote d’Ivoire coach Emerse Fae has called on his players to make the perfect start in their seismic semi-final against DR Congo.

The Ivorians are chasing a third continental crown but face a dangerous Leopards side on Wednesday fresh from dumping out record seven-time winners Egypt at the Round of 16.

Fae knows his talented Elephants must seize the initiative from the very first whistle at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan after riding their luck en route to the last four.

“In our previous games we’ve struggled at the start,” he acknowledged frankly ahead of the showdown in Abidjan.

“This time we’ll look to capitalise on the confidence we’ve built to impose our gameplan from the off.”

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Cote d’Ivoire advanced via penalty shootouts against Senegal after chasing the game, then left it late to see off Mali with a last-gasp winner.

Those energy-sapping victories were testament to the spirit Fae has fostered since taking the reins last year.

“We were almost out but we refocused as a group, restored confidence and understood we had to be united,” he explained.

“I knew we had the quality, the key was recreating that team dynamic.”

Fae also believes his men will handle the pressure better against DR Congo with expectation lowered.

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“There was more pressure in our last two games than this semi-final, even though it’s a bigger match,” he stated.

“We’ll manage it by remembering how far we’ve come and the effort taken just to get here.”

Make no mistake, this represents a seismic encounter between two giant clubs of the African game.

With the final now tantalisingly close, Fae will urge his Elephants to play without fear right from the first whistle.

But in DR Congo they face determined opponents brimming with belief under coach Sebastien Desabre.

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The Leopards will relish the chance to finally step out of the shadow cast by their golden generation of the 1970s.

Cote d’Ivoire versus DR Congo has all the makings of a tight and tactical Afcon classic.

Yet with a place in the final at stake, Fae will demand his Elephants seize their moment on the big stage by making a statement start.

-CAF

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya’s AFCON dreams go up in flames!

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The hopes of Libya securing a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ticket seem to have gone up in smoke.  This is the sequel to the 2-1 defeat that Rwanda inflicted on the Benin Republic on Tuesday evening.

With the result, Libya’s position is further cemented at the bottom of the table. Nigeria, even with an outstanding match, still leads with seven points.

They are followed by Benin Republic who have six points. Rwanda followed with five points.

The star men were  Innocent Nshuti and Djihad Bizimana  who scored in the space of two minutes as Rwanda came from behind to defeat Benin 2-1 at Amahoro Stadium on Tuesday, October 15.

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AFCON

Rwanda breaks 12-year jinx in victory over Benin Republic

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FILE PHOTO: Rwanda players celebrate in the dressing room after beating Lesotho 1-0 on Tuesday in Durban, South Africa, to go top of Group C in the ongoing World Cup 2026 qualifiers-courtesy.

Rwanda’s defeat of Benin Republic is not just their first win in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, the victory terminates a 12-year winless streak against the Cheetah of Benin.

It is also a renewal of their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. But they still have two more games to play.

The German made two changes from the side that started against Benin last week as Samuel Gueulette and Emmanuel Imanishimwe came in for Kevin Muhire and Claude Niyomugabo respectively.

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AFCON

Libya vs Nigeria: CAF lifts the burden off Nigeria

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The press release on Tuesday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) may have lifted a burden off Nigeria as the match with Libya is considered postponed rather than the Super Eagles refusing to play.

The continental body remarked that the matter would be referred to the competent CAF bodies.

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