The dream is now over for Côte d'Ivoire, but they will depart North America with their heads firmly high. Les Elephants made history in their fourth global finals by reaching the knockout round for the first time.
While they came up just shy in a at Dallas Stadium, they thrilled audiences along the way. Despite the disappointment on the day, Amad Diallo was able to appreciate what an up-and-coming Côte d'Ivoire had accomplished.
“We are really proud of what we achieved,” said Diallo to FIFA. “We are the youngest team in this competition, so we can feel really proud. We had played in three tournaments before and never got past the group stage, so we’ve achieved that.”
Diallo entered as a second half substitute and provided an immediate spark, highlighted by a sensational finish off a slick one-two combination with Nicolas Pepe to pull the Ivorians level in the 74th minute.
It was the second goal of this World Cup for the Manchester United man, following his group stage strike against Ecuador, giving some solace to the 23-year-old.
“It's a big thing to score that goal because it's a dream come true,” said Diallo. “I always dreamed to play on the biggest stage, so scoring this goal was something crazy. At the end, even if you lose, it's a win also.”
Sources: FIFA Official
