2019 AFCON: Battle of the Eagles in Suez, as Hervé Renard meets Cote d'Ivoire again
Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - Between the "Eagles" of Carthage of Tunisia and those of Mali, it will be a fierce battle this Friday afternoon at the Suez stadium, during the first match of Day 2 in Group E at the ongoing 32nd African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Wakhbi Khazri and his partners who had been "failed" by a combative team from Namibia, will definitely want to take flight. A flight that their Malian opponents seem to have taken to have achieved the biggest score of the first day against Mauritania (4-1).
Since then, the players of coach Magassouba have positioned themselves among the candidates for the title. However, they will have to confirm this Friday, against the French coach, Alain Giresse, who had led them to the third place of the 2012 AFCON.
Another French technician to face his former team this Friday is Hervé Renard, coach of Morocco. He will face Cote d'Ivoire with whom he won the continental title in 2015. That match is from 5 pm at the Al Salam stadium in Cairo.
In Thursday's pre-match press conference, he did not have high praise for the "Elephants".
"This team has talented players on the field and on the bench. But, do not think too much about it; otherwise we have headaches."
According to him, Côte d'Ivoire really did not deserve to beat South Africa; and he dreads seeing its move up a gear.
His Ivorian alter ego, Ibrahima Kamara, has returned the praise. "We did not wait to see the match Morocco against Namibia to know that it is a very strong team defensively."
And to note forcefully "our goal is to get out of the group; and if it has to be through Morocco, we'll do it."
Between two teams who had won their first outing (on the same score of a goal to 0 against Namibia and South Africa, respectively), Morocco and Cote d'Ivoire will meet for the leadership of Group D and to get out in the first two places after the group phase.
But, the losers of the first day, in this Group D, have not yet abdicated. South Africa and Namibia, which meet at 8 pm in Cairo, will try to reap the dividends of this clash between the two big guys who will have rubbed each other in the first hour. But that of the two teams that will lose will have virtually lost all chances of ending up in the second round. So there is a lot of promises.
Friday's programme are in Suez at 2:30 pm: Tunisia vs Mali (Gr. E), in Cairo (Al Salam Stadium) at 5 pm: Morocco vs Côte d'Ivoire; at 8 pm: South Africa vs Namibia (Gr. D)
-0- PANA BKN/IS/KND/VAO 27June2019
