Belmadi to Elephants: Dwell on the past and get a shocker!

Elephants of Cote d Ivoire have been told to leave their defeat of Desert  Foxes in the past where it belongs and wake up to realities ahead of the quarterfinal rematch on Thursday at the New Suez Stadium.

Algeria Coach Djamel Belmadi who sent the warning insisted that the defeat at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations will have no effect on his present team and their determination to fight to the finish in Egypt.

The teams met in the quarterfinals of the 2015 edition, where the West African heavyweights won 3-1 (thanks to goals from Wilfried Bony [two] and Gervinho) en route to claiming the AFCON title.

Four years agao according to the very enthusiastic coach is a long time and a lot of water would have passed under the bridge.

“What is certain is that we want to progress. The past is the past and we are determined to go past this stage of the competition,” he said admitting however that the Elephants will not be a walk in the park.

“Ivory Coast is well known on the African continent for being a difficult, solid team with a lot of experience, including players who play in big leagues but for me it is not just about statistics but on form of the moment, “he added

Belmadi who took over the team last year played for the Algeria National team from 2000 to 2004 making 20 appearances and scoring five goals. The former PSG ace has previously coached Qatar team A and B between 2013 and 2015.