IT WAS DIFFICULT

Ivory Coast captain and striker Didier Drogba has said that the 2012 African cup of nations was an extremely difficult tournament for his nation. Ivory Coast made it into the finals of the major African tournament only to lose in the finals. It now makes them one of the weakest when it comes to utilising the squad to its maximum in winning trophies. Ivory Coast is one of the star studded nations in Africa, as a number of players represent top clubs in the Premier league. Didier Drogba, himself, plays for Chelsea, while the likes of Kolo Toure and Yaya Touré represent table leaders Manchester City.

Despite possessing this star-studded squad, Ivory Coast have disappointed in every major tournament over the last few years. However, they made it into the finals of the 2012 African cup of nations when everyone realised that it would be the time when Ivory Coast finally lift a major trophy after a gap of 20 years. Amidst all the pressure, Ivory Coast were extremely relaxed due to the fact that they were facing under dogs Zambia. Yet again, though, Ivory Coast failed at the last hurdle, as they lost to Zambia on penalties. Didier Drogba missed a penalty in the second half, which would have given the Ivory Coast the lead.

“It’s really personal. The only thing that I remember is that we lost the final; everyone is sad and disappointed, it’s a difficult moment. We had a good team and the way that we played – we had the confidence that we could do something, we could win it,” Drogba told the BBC after the conclusion of the tournament. Drogba will be returning to Chelsea, who have to opportunity to win only the FA cup or the Champions League. Chelsea are fourth in the Premier league table.