Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon

Even though we weren't brilliant, we controlled the match, and I think they scored with their only shot. It was a poor management on our part in this match. Instead of turning back, we should have gone forward and played the ball behind their defense, pushing the defensive line higher and maintaining it.

But it's the first match, and I still want to congratulate the boys because they showed mental resilience. It's not easy when you receive such a blow right at the end.

We had to respond well in the penalty shootout, and we did what was necessary by converting all 5 penalties. We took good shots and made the necessary save.

We only have 2 points when we should have had 3, so we need to reflect on that and rethink the team for the next match.

We didn't fully achieve what we wanted to do. We were caught off guard by this South American team, capable of disrupting the game and being very tenacious and valiant."

Jean N'guessan (Ivory Coast Player):

"On a personal level, I'm really happy with my performance and being named the best player. Collectively, I'm also satisfied with what we produced. We responded well after conceding that late goal.

We never thought we would lose this match; we always had the belief to go all the way, and I think that's what allowed us to win today."

Ivory Coast 1-1 (5-3 on penalties) Panama: Post-game reactions

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