Ivory Coast 'worthy of a place' in knockout phase as they look toward Curacao

[p]The African side beat Ecuador [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ecuador-8tbm8Tri/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/?mid=h8pzQySI"]1-0[/a] in their opener and ‌were leading Germany in their second match before conceding two second-half ‌goals in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/germany-ptQide1O/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/?mid=SMzorJsm"]2-1[/a] defeat.[/p][p][b]"I think the key is our ‌ability to show the same seriousness, the same mindset, the same intensity that we showed against Ecuador and Germany,”[/b] Fae said on the eve of ‌Thursday's match.[/p][p][b]“I think that if we respect ⁠our opponent and perform well ‌in these different areas I just mentioned, I think we'll have a ​chance of qualifying for the round of 32.”[/b][/p][embed guid="93d33b15-92da-4c12-aba2-fdcb13e8932d" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2069986796906147927?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The challenge may be as much mental as it is physical after ​Deniz Undav’s stoppage-time winner for Germany. It could have been very different had [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/adingra-simon/6kgBNHG6/"]Simon Adingra[/a] done better with an excellent 87th-minute ⁠chance.[/p][p][b]“Simon missed an opportunity ​like any football player,” [/b]Fae said.[b] “Personally, I don't blame him at all for that. And that's what I told him. That's what I told the group.[/b][/p][p][b]“I said that, personally, I don't have a ‌particular problem with technical errors. The most important thing for me was that he got back to work. Because he'll score more goals for Ivory Coast.[/b][/p][p][b]“He'll miss others, too, unfortunately. But actually, this action hasn't changed my confidence in Simon at all.”[/b][/p][p]Fae declined to provide an update on defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/singo-wilfried/Ym8dZot0/"]Wilfried Singo[/a], who left injured in the 82nd minute against Germany. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a]'s federation issued a statement saying post-match examinations were encouraging.[/p][p]As for Thursday’s opponents, ‌Fae praised Curacao’s resilience following their first group match.[/p][image alt="Curacao vs. Ivory Coast win probability" id="9690a49b-f53b-41f1-be70-0fb54f24827a" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="622343b4-572a-4caa-8c60-bdd1c9d43d5b" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b]“This is ​a team that, after a 7-1 defeat against Germany, managed ‌to find the mental strength to draw against Ecuador,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]“They're a very aggressive team. They have forwards who are capable of making a difference individually. They play with a lot of teamwork.[/b][/p][p][b]“We're expecting a tough match tomorrow, like all ⁠World Cup matches, especially since ⁠their draw against Ecuador ‌still gives them a chance to qualify for the second round.”[/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]