After hosts Cote d’Ivoire sealed qualification for the AFCON final on Sunday to face Nigeria at the Olympic Stadium in Abidjan, defender Willy Boly said they were confident – but not arrogant.
The Elephants beat DR Congo 1-0 at the same venue the Les Léopards got victory against Guinea to set up an epic final with the Super Eagles on Sunday as they hope to add another continental title.
Star defender and Nottingham Forest centre-back Willy Boly has shown remarkable confidence in his teammates ahead of the clash and hopes the Ivorian team can take their revenge on the Super Eagles after losing 0-1 in their second group game of the tournament.
“I think when you lose in the group stage, it’s totally different,” the defender told journalists.
“Now it’s going to be one game and I think both teams can win,” he added.
“I don’t think Nigeria is 100% sure they can win the game, the chances are 50/50 for both teams and hopefully we are the ones who win this time.”
“I won’t say we have the confidence, but we trust our quality to be able to win this cup.”
“We’re a good team that can win and we know that it’s been nine years since we last won AFCON, so it will be difficult to win it, but when you see how we got here, it was difficult for us and because of this I believe that it will be fantastic for us to win the title,” the Ivorian added.
Cote d’Ivoire have surprised all by getting this far in the competition, having looked like they were heading out of the tournament.
Boly says their sudden turnaround, also inspired by the sacking of coach Jean-Louis Gasset as Emerse Faé took charge, was partly due to playing in their own backyard.
”When we are at home we always look compact, and we now have the opportunity to return and show up,” added Boly.
After managing to go through the knockout stages, they will now hope to go one step further by lifting the trophy, which will see them equal the number of trophies their opponents have on Sunday.
