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16 June 2023
Ivory Coast - Saudi Arabia (3-1) : post-game reactions
In the second match of the day at the Fernand-Fournier stadium in Arles, Côte d'Ivoire came out on top against Saudi Arabia. The Elephants are now 5th in the Maurice Revello 2023 Tournament standings, while the Saudis are 6th. Here are the post-match reactions.
Ludovic Batelli (Ivory Coast coach) :
« I think we had some things in place that we applied well. It's true that Saudi Arabia had their chances at half-time, but we mustn't forget that we also had several opportunities to extend our lead. There was a lack of efficiency from both teams. In the second half, they had two opportunities, one from a set-piece and the other in the game. We had two counter-attacks that we managed very well. That's football for you, sometimes you create a lot of chances and you don't take them, while other times you only need two situations to make the difference.
Today, I think our victory was a logical one because we showed more intent and more desire to play high up the pitch and create chances. Our finishing was better than usual, but it still wasn't good enough given the number of chances we had. I'd like to pay tribute to the spirit of the group, who never gave up. All the boys played their part. We had opted for a very young team, with a lot of 2005 and 2006 players, to prepare for our future matches. The boys showed up, but they were also well supported by three or four senior players. I'm pleased with that and happy for the players.
The results are mixed because our objective was to reach the last four. It's undoubtedly the match against Panama that has prevented us from getting there. We mustn't have any regrets. If we didn't make it, it's because we didn't have the level. But I'm pleased with everything that's happened since Morocco. We got back into the swing of things, we produced some good football and we were effective in scoring goals. We struggled in our first two games. Then we scored five in the last two. I advocate playing forward, taking risks in the finishing areas and being effective. The boys listened to our instructions. Above all, they showed a fantastic spirit, individually and collectively, and I congratulate them. »
Yaya Sogodogo (Ivory Coast player) :
« We were more focused. We've come a long way to take part in the Maurice Revello Tournament. So we gave it our all to get this fifth place. I'm very pleased with myself because I was able to score. We won tonight, so I'm very happy and proud of my team. »
Naif Khalid Masoud (Saudi Arabia player) :
« I'm satisfied with the tournament we've just completed, every Arab nation would like to play in a tournament like this. We finished in 6th place, which is a good position even if we could have done better. Given the level of the international teams, with a very fast pace, we feel we have benefited from this competition. »
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