Cote d’Ivoire head coach Patrice Beaumelle has cautioned his players to learn to play simple if they are to win something in the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The Elephants registered a 1-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea in their opening fixture at the Japoma Stadium in Douala on Wednesday.
Max-Alain Gradel’s right footed shot from outside the box found the top right corner of the net to beat Equatorial Guinea Keeper Manuel Mbara Sapunga in spectacular fashion.
According to Beaumelle, if his charges learn to play simple, nothing bad can happen to them.
“We’ll hold back the victory at the end of this meeting. Equatorial Guinea has made us suffer and I am not at all surprised even if our adversary remains ourselves,” Beaumelle said before adding.
“If we learn to play simple, nothing bad can happen to us. I really liked the first 15 minutes with the fluidity, simplicity and the collective put forward.”
“We did not continue to play like this, it allowed our opponent to believe in it and to deploy his game.”
“It was difficult but we will hold back the victory and this group will be difficult until the end, Sierra Leone and the Equatorial Guinea are not stooges, they deserve their qualification for this competition,” he added.
Cote d’Ivoire’s next fixture will be against Sierra Leone on Sunday January 16th.
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