NAKUBA umdlalo ubengekho ezingeni eliphezulu kodwa umphumela otholwe osokhaya be-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), i-Ivory Coast, bewanele ukwenza abalandeli bayo bangalali, bebhiyozela ukuvula ngamaphuzu amathathu kulo mqhudelwano.
I-Ivory Coast ekuGroup A, inqobe iGuinea Bissau ngo 2-0, e-Alhassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, e-Abidjan, ngoMgqibelo ebusuku.
Ngemuva komdlalo, abalandeli bebeshaye ujenga kusuka enkundleni belindele ukubona amaqhawe abo ephuma enkundleni, bebodwa ebebezama ukulivimba ibhasi beqiwe yinjabulo.
Umqeqeshi we.The Elephants, uJean Louis Gasset, ekhuluma nabezindaba ngemuva komdlalo, ufanise ukunqoba umdlalo wokuqala njengokusuka komthwalo emahlombe abo.
Igoli likaSeko Fofana nelikaJean Philippe Krasso, angene ngokwehlukana kweziwombe, yiwona abawezile.
“Okumqoka bekuwukunqoba umdlalo. Ukudlala umdlalo wokuvula emqhudelwaneni, enkundleni egcwele phama, akusiwona umsebenzi olula,” kusho uGasset ngokubika kweRueters.
“Ngokwemiqondo bekunzima kodwa sizamile ngokusemandleni ethu. Umdlalo siwuqale kahle ngokuthi sishaye igoli kodwa kuyiqiniso ukuthi umdlalo wonke ubungemuhle.”
UFofana ubeke ezakhe ebuhleni umdlalo usenemizuzu emine uqalile, kwathi uqethu kaKrasso weza negoli lesibili kusanda kubuywa ekhefini.
“Besiyinhlakanhlaka uma singaliphethe ibhola. Kuzomele sikulungise lokho. Kodwa kukhona konke, sibe namathuba ayisikhombisa okushaya amagoli, amabili alawo ashaya ipali,” kuqhuba lo mqeqeshi.
Ngemuva komdlalo, abadlali bebebukeka betubekile, okungenzeka kwenziwe ukudlala ebusuku futhi kunomoya oshisayo.
“Kusanomsebenzi okumele wenziwe. Umqhudelwano usaqala. Namuhla (ngoMgqibelo), sijabulela futhi sizwa kusuke umthwalo ngokuthi siwunqobile umdlalo ngoba besingaphansi kwenkulu ingcindezi,” kusho uGasset.
Labo sokhaya ababangompetha be-Afcon bango-1992 nango-2015, emdlalweni olandelayo bazodudulana neNigeria ngoLwesine.
“Siyayazi iNigeria ukuthi iqine ngakuphi. Bahle uma behlasela. Umgadli wabo (uVictor Osimhen) ungumdlali ohamba phambili e-Afrika. Ngakho siyazi ukuthi kuzomele siwenyuse umdlalo wethu kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi abadlali bami bazoba nazo izimpendulo,” kusho uGasset.