Emerse Fae says Ivory Coast will not get carried away despite win

Following their emphatic 4-0 friendly victory against South Korea, Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has remained calm and urged his players not to get carried away as they prepare to face Scotland on Tuesday.

The Elephants played their first since the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, and they secure comfortable following goals from Evann Guessand, Simon Adingra, Martial Godo, and Wilfried Singo.

Discussing the outcome of the friendly, Fae maintained the Elephants must remain focused as they continue preparations for the upcoming assignments including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The team must keep working hard

“We are not getting carried away with this win and it is important for the team to keep working hard, even after scoring four goals and keeping a clean sheet,” Fae said as quoted by Flashscore.

“(This result) is a positive step for the future, but what matters most is maintaining this same level of focus and concentration in every game.

“Our attention now turns to the match against Scotland on Tuesday, and after that we will step up our preparations for the FIFA World Cup. We will take things step by step.”

Analying the game, Fae said: “We knew South Korea had strong technical quality, especially players capable of making intelligent passes and controlling the game.

“Our aim was to disrupt that rhythm and stop them from playing through the middle. They have the ability to cause problems, but we managed the game well and limited their impact.

“They had a few moments and created some chances, but I believe we handled those situations well. In general, it was a solid performance from us and we did a good job.

“After these games, we will decide which players will make the World Cup squad.”

‘We pleased what we have seen so far’

Fae admitted he was impressed by the striking options at his disposal. He said: “While putting the squad together, we noticed all the strikers were in good form, which made selection difficult because of their quality.

“Seeing them perform like this in the first game is very positive for both confidence and healthy competition within the team. Everyone is pushing to earn a place in the starting lineup, and that level of competition can only improve the squad.

“We are pleased with what we have seen so far, but we must keep building on it. Our focus now is to maintain this momentum and aim for another win in our next match on Tuesday.”

Ivory Coast will conclude their FIFA international break with a fixture against Scotland on Tuesday at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.