CHAN 2016: Third place Match Sunday, 7th Feb 2016 (4 p.m, E.A Time) Cote D’Ivoire Vs Guinea – Amahoro Stadium
Cote D’Ivoire national football coach, Michel Dussuyer is still a disappointed man after his side’s 1-0 loss to Mali on Thursday at Kigali regional stadium in the semi finals of the African Nations Championship.
However, the French tactician looks forward the third place play off against fellow West Africans, Guinea to revenge.
“We are disappointed. We had a little failure in our tactics and lost focus. I don’t know if it was due to the physical condition, mental and psychological approach to the match. We lost many balls and were not ourselves, and this made it tough for us.
“We did not play well and Mali deserved to win this game. It’s logical that we lost this game. We shall look at the third place play-off.”
Second half substitute, Yves Bissouma scored the price-less winner two minutes to full time to grant Mali a berth in the finals against Democratic Republic of Congo, who eliminated Guinea 5-4 in post match penalties after extra time had ended 1 goal apiece.
Dussuyer identified the weak-lines his team had before the semi final match; “We were not physically and technically in the game, and it was difficult for us. We have to think about the future and we don’t have to forget what we have done thus far.
“Nobody expected us at this level. We have done well. We have to build on this and see what the future holds. This is the first time Cote d’Ivoire has passed the group stage into the semis, so we are moving forward.”
The third place match will be played two hours before the main final between DR Congo and Mali. Both matches shall take place at Amahoro stadium.
Previous winners: DR Congo won the first edition in 2009 that was staged in Cote D’Ivoire. Tunisia and Libya claimed the subsequent events hosted by Sudan and South Africa in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
Only players currently featuring in the local leagues on the African continent are eligible to participate in the CHAN tournament.