March 23, (THEWILL)-Â Newly-crowned African champions Ivory Coast were forced to come from behind twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Benin in a friendly match in Amiens, France on Saturday. The lacklustre performance took some of the gloss off the Elephants’ recent Cup of Nations triumph on home soil.
Benin took a surprise lead through midfielder Junior Olaitan before Ivory Coast winger Max Gradel levelled just before the half-hour mark. Olaitan struck again to restore Benin’s advantage, but Oumar Diakite spared Ivorian blushes with an equaliser on 69 minutes.
It was new Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae’s first game in charge since taking over the African champions last month. The disappointing result suggests more work is needed as the Elephants build towards resuming 2026 World Cup qualifying in June.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
