Fae Regrets Ivory Coast’s ‘Lack of Maturity’ in Late Defeat to Norway

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae said his side paid for a “lack of maturity” after crashing out of the World Cup with a dramatic 2-1 loss to Norway on Tuesday.

The Ivorians appeared set for extra time after Amad Diallo cancelled out Antonio Nusa’s first-half opener, but Erling Haaland struck late to send Norway into the Round of 16.

“It’s tough to lose in the final minutes, they gave everything, they fought from the first to the last minute,” Fae said.

Haaland scored unmarked with four minutes remaining, breaking Ivory Coast hearts and ending the country’s first-ever appearance in the World Cup knockout rounds.

Norway will now meet Brazil in the next stage.

Fae admitted his young squad failed to manage the game after equalising.

“Maybe we lacked a bit of maturity, especially after the equaliser,” he said.

“Maybe at the end we should have tried to hold on and take it to extra time.”

The coach added that his players gained valuable experience from the tournament.

“I think we’ve grown a lot thanks to this competition, it’s the first World Cup for these players,” he said.

Fae also dismissed criticism over his decision to start Amad Diallo on the bench, insisting the substitute made the desired impact after coming on.

“We knew he would give us a lot when he came in, and that’s what he did,” he stated.

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