Ivory Coast coach still haunted by 2006 AFCON final loss ahead of Egypt clash

Jan ‌9 : Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae warned his team to be wary of Egypt ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final on Saturday, recalling the 2006 final defeat when he was part of the squad.

Fae, 41, was a key player in Ivory Coast's run to the final, which ended in a ‌penalty shootout defeat by Egypt, a result that ‌secured their first title of three as they dominated African football from 2006 to 2010.

Egypt have not won the trophy since, losing finals in 2017 and 2021, while Fae led Ivory Coast to the title at the 2023 edition after being appointed interim coach following the dismissal ‍of Jean-Louis Gasset.

"Egypt absorbs pressure, they don't control (games), it's about disrupting the opponent and, whenever they get a chance, punishing them," Fae told reporters on Friday.

"We were watching Egypt, but you could put the images from 2006 ​back on and it would ‌be exactly the same.

"This is exactly the Egypt I expected, an Egypt that always seems to be in difficulty, that ​looks like it's about to crack, but almost never does," he added.

Egypt needed ⁠extra time to overcome Benin 3-1 ‌in the last 16, while the title holders crushed Burkina Faso ​3-0, with Manchester United's Amad Diallo shining.

However, Fae was fully aware of the attacking threat posed by the seven-time champions, ‍who include Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City winger Omar Marmoush.

"They ⁠are a complete team, solid defensively and dangerous offensively... You should never be ​overconfident against Egypt. If you ‌arrive overconfident, you have no chance," he said.

(Reporting ‍by ​Mohamed Yossry, editing by Christian Radnedge)