Defending champions Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has reiterated that his side’s ultimate ambition is to retain the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, while stressing the importance of taking the tournament one game at a time.

Fae praised his team’s performance but warned against complacency as the competition reaches its decisive stages.

“The first goal is to win the next game because we need to go step by step, we don’t have to look at what will happen [before playing the next game],” Fae said.

“For sure, we want to win the AFCON, but we have to take it step by step, game by game.”

Ivory Coast booked their place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday following a convincing 3–0 victory over Burkina Faso at the Stade de Marrakech.

Amad Diallo produced a commanding display, scoring once and providing an assist, while Bazoumana Toure and Yan Diomande added the other goals.

The win marked Ivory Coast’s ninth AFCON quarter-final appearance in the 21st century — the joint-highest tally alongside Nigeria.

Fae also expressed confidence in the maturity of his squad compared to the previous edition of the tournament.

“I think my team is more experienced than the last AFCON. The team is more united. The experienced players are leading the young ones and the young ones are respecting the old ones.”

Ivory Coast will face Egypt on Saturday at the Stade d’Agadir, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

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