Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Ivory Coast spirit pleases Sabri Lamouchi

Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi praised his side’s fighting spirit after the Africa Cup of Nations favourites fought back to secure a 2-2 draw with Algeria.

The Elephants were trailing by two goals against Algeria, before strikes from Didier Drogba and Wilfred Bony salvaged a point and sealed their last-eight place, with a clash against Nigeria this weekend.

And the impact of the comeback was not lost on Lamouchi, with stiffer tests ahead.

“What I appreciate the most is my players’ reaction in the second half,” said the Tunisia-born coach. “They refused to lose, they didn’t want to accept the defeat.

“It was a good game despite the situation of both teams.”

Togo also advanced from Group D following their 1-1 draw Tunisia, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

And Sparrow Hawks boss Didier Six, a one-time Aston Villa midfielder, had nothing but praise for his side.

“This is huge for Togo – the first time they have qualified for the quarter-finals, a great achievement for the team and country,” said Six.

“We were the little team in this group, and we’ve made it. I think there will be a big party in Lome tonight and rightly so.”

Meanwhile, Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi was left to reflect on his side short comings, especially after they arrived in South Africa with her hopes.

“We did what we had to do, we dominated the play, but we lacked a bit of finishing,” said Trabelsi.

“I’m not here to talk about the referee, I’m only here to talk about my team. But am I satisfied with the outcome? No.”

Open a bet365 account with £10 or more and you'll get a free bet of up to £200 on us. Click here for more information.

Like The Sport Review on Facebook:

Read more on: africa cup of nations 2013, algeria, didier drogba, ivory coast, togo, tunisia.