Fae praises Ivory Coast's determination after dramatic late win against Ecuador

Fae praises Ivory Coast's determination after dramatic late win against Ecuador
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Since securing their spot at the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Ivorians have been impressive. They recorded comfortable warm-up victories against South Korea and Scotland in March, followed by a 2-1 away win over France last week.

Fae's young forward line, which includes the highly touted 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande, faced a stern test from an experienced Ecuadorian defence. That defence featured Paris Saint-Germain's Willian Pacho and Arsenal's Piero Hincapie, protected by Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo.

"We came to the US with this aim, and we arrived with ambitions and high hopes," Fae told reporters.

"We do not want merely to have visited the US and then have to return, so everything is going well for the time being.

"We have beaten France. We are beginning this competition well against Ecuador, a very tough side, but we managed to find our rhythm and claim the victory. This demonstrates that our team has performed admirably."

Given that four-time champions Germany are the favourites in the group, this contest might be crucial in the fight for second spot.

Germany thrashed debutants Curacao 7-1 in the other group match in Houston, and they will take on Ivory Coast next in Toronto on Saturday.

"It will be another tough match," Fae added. "It is Germany. They have a wealth of experience. They have won the World Cup several times. Their players feature at the top European clubs. They have formidable attacking strength.

"A 7-1 scoreline in their first match of this tournament is no small feat, but we will go there with the intention of winning. With a winning mindset and the aim of securing qualification from the second match onwards.

"We will go head to head with them and we will give everything. We have our own attributes. We will rely on our own strengths and we will attempt to break down the German defence."

Ivory Coast, making their first World Cup appearance since 2014, have never advanced beyond the group stage.