Ivory Coast lacked maturity in World Cup exit, says coach Emerse Fae

Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae admitted his side lacked the maturity needed to see out their World Cup Round of 32 clash after suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Norway.

The Elephants were knocked out on Tuesday after Erling Haaland scored the winner in the 86th minute, just minutes after substitute Amad Diallo had cancelled out Antonio Nusa’s first-half opener.

READ ALSO: Haaland fires Norway into World Cup last 16 with win over Ivory Coast

“It’s tough to lose in the final minutes. They gave everything and fought from the first to the last minute,” Fae stated after the match.

The defeat ended Ivory Coast’s historic World Cup campaign, having reached the knockout stage for the first time.

Fae believed his young team should have managed the closing stages better after Diallo’s equaliser.

“Maybe we lacked a bit of maturity, especially after the equaliser. Maybe at the end we should have tried to hold on and take it to extra time,” he said.

Despite the disappointment, the coach praised his players for their progress during the tournament.

“I think we’ve grown a lot thanks to this competition. It’s the first World Cup for these players,” he added.

Fae also defended his decision to leave Manchester United winger Amad Diallo on the bench until the second half, insisting the substitution worked as planned.

“We knew he would give us a lot when he came in, and that’s what he did,” he said.

Norway advanced to the Round of 16, where they will face Brazil.