Cote d’Ivoire attempts to win the WCQ four times in a row

In the afternoon of Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Cote d’Ivoire will take on “hosts” Kenya at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, with the aim of consolidating their control over Group F in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The match begins at 15:00 CAT.

With a goal in the first half from Seko Fofana, the defending African champions and group leaders defeated nearest rivals Gabon 1-0 in Korhogo on Friday, making it three wins in a row.

A fourth consecutive victory would put the Elephants, under coach Emerse Fae, in a strong position to build on their success from the Africa Cup of Nations and make their World Cup debut for the first time since 2014.

Kenya, on the other hand, have earned four points from their opening three games to take third place on the log, demonstrating a respectable start to the qualifications.

However, the Harambee Stars would have been dissatisfied with their 1-1 draw against Burundi on Friday at home. With fewer than 20 minutes remaining, Duke Abuya gave them the lead, but Sudi Abdallah scored a late equalizer.

Even though his team didn’t win, coach Engin Firat is still not happy with the level of refereeing and feels that his team played well enough.

“We didn’t start the opening fifteen minutes the way I had hoped. We then got our goal chances and began our passing game,” he said.

Since they made every effort to halt the game, I am unable to express my satisfaction with the referee. It took two or three minutes to restart every ball, every set piece, and every free kick against us.

“There was no way to keep the game moving at a steady pace. We exerted greater effort in the second half. Even if we eventually scored, we ought to have done so sooner. If you don’t score the second goal, it could lead to an absurd goal like this one.

Firat went on, “If people realized the circumstances we were in and the events of these days, I’m not disappointed with the way we performed. I’m pleased with the lads’ performance as a result, but not with the outcome.

According to head-to-head statistics, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire have only played one previous friendly, in December 1991 at Abidjan, when the Elephants triumphed 4-0.