Barely a month after winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, Ivory Coast took to the pitch again but could not secure more than a 2-2 draw against Benin at Stade de la Licorne on Saturday.
Ivory Coast returned to the field on Saturday at Stade de la Licorne, but they could not muster more than a 2-2 draw against Benin, only one month after winning the Africa Cup of Nations at home.
The Cheetahs' Junior Olaitan scored a brace in each half, but the Elephants fought back after giving up a goal in each half. Max Gradel scored in his final game to tie the score in the first half, and Oumar Diakite scored the second goal to complete the comeback.
It was a fairytale run for Ivory Coast at the Cup of Nations, as they survived group stage defeats to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea to advance into the knockout stage courtesy of other results favouring them.
Ivory Coast returned to the field on Saturday at Stade de la Licorne, but they could not muster more than a 2-2 draw against Benin, only one month after winning the Africa Cup of Nations at home.
The Cheetahs' Junior Olaitan scored a brace in each half, but the Elephants fought back after giving up a goal in each half. Max Gradel scored in his final game to tie the score in the first half, and Oumar Diakite scored the second goal to complete the comeback.
Ivory Coast's Cup of Nations campaign was a fairytale; they advanced to the knockout stage with to favorable outcomes, despite losing to Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria in the group stage.
But in the knockout stages, the Elephants appeared like a different team when Jean-Louis Gasset was fired and Emerse Fae was brought in as an interim coach. They even managed to win their third AFCON crown.
Since then, Fae has been hired on a permanent basis. His next task will be to assist the nation in winning its fourth FIFA World Cup, following on victories over Gambia and Seychelles in the opening two games of the qualifying series. The nation will play Gabon and Kenya in June.
But before that, they have to play Uruguay for the first time ever on Tuesday. After losing to Benin on Friday, Fae will need a win in this game to boost their confidence in him.
Ruguay, on the other hand, has extended their winning streak to five games after defeating Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil handily in their past three World Cup qualifiers. A 2-2 tie with Colombia and a 1-1 deadlock with the Basque Country in the previous game bookend this streak.
The Charruas were awarded a draw when Matias Vecino promptly equalized after Alvaro Djalo had given the Basques the lead.
Argentina is ahead of Marcelo Bielsa's team in their FIFA World Cup qualification group. Their attention is now completely focused on the Copa America this summer, though, as friendlies against Mexico and the Ivory Coast remain before the championship begins at the end of June.
Uruguay, who has won the Copa America competition a record 15 times, along with current champion Argentina, will play in Group C against Panama, Bolivia, and the United States in 2024.
The Sky Blues last won the Copa America in 2011, but they haven't advanced past the quarterfinals since. In 2016, they even lost in the group stage.
Even so, they have had a stellar year, winning seven of their previous ten games across all competitions and only losing once, against Ecuador last September by a score of 2-1.
