It was a roller-coaster moment for Ivory Coast on Monday night as they won on penalties against the defending champions, Senegal, after going down to Habib Diallo’s 4th-minute strike.
In a post-match interview, Frank Kesske, the hero of the night revealed how they were feeling before the crunch clash against Senegal.
“We were beaten in front of our country, in the stadium named after the President, that’s where we felt this humiliation”, said Kessie. Ivory Coast were beaten 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea in their last game of the group.
“After Morocco’s match, we had nothing more to lose. As they say: a ghost can’t be afraid”, added Frank Kessie. Morocco’s 1-0 win over Zambia ensured a place in the Round 16 for the Elephants of Ivory Coast.
Frank Kessie scored Ivory Coast’s crucial equaliser with 5 minutes to full from the spot. He also scored the winning penalty to secure a quarter-final berth for the host.
The Elephants will play against the winner of Mali against Burkina Faso.