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13 juin 2023
Japan 1-2 Ivory Coast : Post-game reactions
On the final day of Group C, Ivory Coast defeated Japan 2-1. Here are the post-match reactions.
Ludovic Batelli (Ivory Coast head coach):
"We will draw lessons at the end of the tournament; there are still ranking matches remaining. Overall, it's a disappointment, a disappointment that I think stems from our first two matches where, without being bad, the performance wasn't very good. However, we always had control of the game, created opportunities, but what I believe was lacking was precision and efficiency.
We need 7 or 8 chances to score one or two goals. Whereas every time they had a chance, they scored on their first attempt. So, that's where we need to improve today. My biggest regret is the game against Panama.
What I take away from today is that the guys fought hard to win this match. They pushed forward, made efforts, and finished exhausted. It's the first time we finish tired. It suggests that perhaps in the first two matches, we didn't give our all. Remember, in all the opening matches, players from the opposing teams had cramps except for us. And today, in the first match where we win, we suffer cramps. But the boys fought for the victory, they deserve it, and congratulations to them."
Mohamed Koné (Ivory Coast goalkeeper):
"First of all, I thank the team. We gave everything. I think we could have done better in terms of attack. We made efforts to score more goals in this match against Japan. But we tried to give our best.
We had a good team, but we lacked efficiency, especially in front of the opponents' goal. We could have been more mature, but the team gave everything to win this tournament."
Zazunori Jo (Japan head coach):
"The objective was to win the tournament, but we have to accept the results and move forward accordingly.
It's the first time we played together in this tournament. It's a good thing to be able to play as a team. We need to do it better, together. For example, offensively, we could have shown more with our quality.
We also lacked power and speed compared to them, which was evident in defensive phases."
Toki Yukutomo (Japan player):
"We didn't respond well in the duels, and individually, I don't think we performed at the required level. We should have played more collectively. We are trying to communicate better, to understand each other. The idea is to reach out to everyone so that we can move forward together.
Defensively, I'm not too disappointed with myself. I think I defended well, but offensively, I lacked the right decisions. There were things I couldn't adjust due to the opponent's speed, quality, and power. But, of course, these are aspects I will review upon my return to Japan."
