Former Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou has explained why Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, attributing the loss to internal issues within the Elephants squad.

Ivory Coast entered the competition as favourites with a star-studded squad but lost 2-1 to the Super Eagles in the quarterfinals in South Africa. 

Nigeria took the lead through Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Mba scored the decisive goal in the second half to seal the win.

The victory proved pivotal as the Super Eagles advanced to the semi-finals and eventually lifted the continental title.

In an interview with John Obi Mikel on the Obi One Podcast, Salomon Kalou revealed that the egos of some of the team’s top players negatively affected squad unity and ultimately contributed to their defeat. 

"I think that sometimes because we have so many talented players playing for great clubs, sometimes nobody wants to accept to be left out," Kalou explained.  

"If you're left out you probably don't want the team to win. So you will not give your all. This also affects us a lot in a lot of tournaments, in the World Cup and Afcon.

"It was not the team we were playing against, it was us ourselves. How to manage ourselves, guys let's play, I don't care if I play five minutes. It was not acceptable for people to be on the bench. This is what was the issue with that moment with our team."

He contrasted that situation with the Nigerian side, noting that despite also having players with strong personalities, the Super Eagles squad at the time had clear roles and strong discipline.

"The difference is, you guys have the same ego, Nigerians we know that but that team of yours, everybody knows their position. So you won't complain if you're on the bench," he noted. 

The triumph marked the third and most recent time Nigeria has won the AFCON title, with the Super Eagles only coming close again in 2023 when they finished as runners-up after losing the final to Ivory Coast in Abidjan.

Adeyemi Adewale