Cote d’Ivoire leave it late to maintain Herve Renard’s perfect start

Cote d’Ivoire preserved Herve Renard’s perfect start to his second spell in charge with a 2-0 victory over Somalia, but needed two late goals to overcome a disciplined defence.

Yann Gboho opened the scoring in the 89th minute before Bazoumana Toure added a second in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The final score suggested a more comfortable evening than the one experienced by the Elephants, who had controlled the match for long periods without turning their possession into a decisive advantage.

The result came five days after Renard marked his return to the Ivory Coast bench with a 2-0 win against Ghana. Against Somalia, however, his side struggled to break down opponents who remained compact and organised throughout.

Yan Diomande and Nicolas Pepe tried to create openings from wide positions, while Elye Wahi and his team-mates lacked accuracy in front of goal. Cote d’Ivoire’s dominance brought few clear rewards until the closing stages.

Renard made no attempt to hide his frustration with the performance.

“I saw a difficult first half, with a lot of complacency and clumsiness,” said the France manager.

He also pointed to two particularly costly missed chances, saying his side had failed to convert “two opportunities 50 centimetres from the line”.

“If you score much earlier in a match like this, you are much more comfortable,” he added.

The breakthrough eventually came from the substitutes. Gboho and Bazoumana Toure, both called up in Renard’s first squad for this spell, which included eight new arrivals, scored after coming off the bench.

That represented a marked contrast with Cote d’Ivoire’s opening match under Renard. Their victory over Ghana had been much more controlled, with Malick Yalcouye scoring before Franck Kessie converted a penalty.

Against Somalia, the Elephants at times appeared to rely on their individual quality to eventually prove sufficient. Renard nevertheless highlighted his team’s “persistence and the final result” after they secured six points from two matches without conceding.

The team’s record remains perfect, but the performance has given Renard an early source of dissatisfaction in his new tenure.

Cote d’Ivoire will have a quick opportunity to respond when they face Cameroon in a friendly. Against opponents of a different calibre, the missed chances and complacency criticised by Renard could prove far more costly.