Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae praised Germany’s quality but expressed disappointment with what he felt was a lack of fair play following his side’s dramatic 2-1 defeat at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Elephants looked set for a famous result after taking the lead and producing an impressive display against one of the tournament favourites. However, Germany struck twice late in the game to complete a comeback and leave Ivory Coast facing a crucial final group match.
While Fae acknowledged Germany’s pedigree and congratulated them on the victory, he admitted certain moments during the contest left him frustrated.
Speaking after the match, the former midfielder revealed he had exchanged words with Germany defender Nathaniel Brown, urging the youngster to remain humble despite his team’s success.
“As for the young German defender, I just told him to stay humble,” Fae said.
“It’s true that he played a great match, he’s in a very, very good national team, but I don’t think he needs to speak ill of us because he’s leading or because it’s one-on-one and he’d like to win.”
“I asked the German defender Brown to stay humble and not speak ill of us because he’s being led. I was disappointed by Germany’s lack of fair play regarding the incident with Singo’s injury.”Emerse Faé in the post-match press conference
The Ivory Coast coach also pointed to an incident involving defender Wilfried Singo, suggesting Germany failed to show the level of sportsmanship he expected from a nation with such a rich football tradition.
“I had the same speech with the German staff,” Fae added.
“I think that for a big nation like Germany, we would have liked a little more fair play. When Singo took the ball out because he was injured, we would have liked them to give it back to us.”
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Despite those complaints, Fae was careful not to diminish Germany’s achievement, insisting the European giants deserved credit for finding a way to win.
“I think it was a quality match, with two teams that deserved to win,” he said.
“Germany wanted their victory, and I congratulate them on this beautiful victory. It’s a big nation and we take example from nations like that to grow.”
The defeat was particularly painful for Ivory Coast because they had opportunities to put the game beyond Germany’s reach before the late turnaround.
Nevertheless, Fae’s side remain firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stages.
The African champions opened their campaign with victory over Ecuador before pushing Germany all the way in their second group match, leaving qualification still within their grasp.
Ivory Coast now turn their attention to a decisive encounter against Curaçao, knowing a win would secure progression to the next round without relying on results elsewhere.
For Fae, the focus is now on ensuring his players recover physically and mentally from the disappointment while using the lessons from the Germany defeat to fuel their World Cup ambitions.
“We still have our fate in our hands,” the coach said.
“If we win on Thursday, we’ll be qualified.”
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After matching Germany for long periods and earning praise for their performance, Ivory Coast will believe they have shown enough quality to keep their World Cup journey alive.
