Emerse Faé, standing in as coach of Cote D'Ivoire, has steered his team to the finals of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the resignation of the substantive head coach.

Taking over from Jean Louis Gasset after a disappointing group stage performance that included a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, Coach Faé described their recent achievement as a “dream” in a post-match interview after defeating DR Congo 1-0.

“I am very happy, very moved, it's like a dream,” he expressed to the media.

Faé emphasized the importance of unity within the team, stating, “I told the players: you are 27 players and I count on everyone. If we want to win this competition, we would win it with all 27…I've been telling the players that everyone is important, including those in the stands, and they understood the message.”

Looking ahead to the finals against Nigeria, Faé revealed their plan to analyze their opponent and strategize accordingly. “We would take stock in the next two days, we will analyze Nigeria, even though we played them in the group stage, we will see the strategy to implement for the final,” he stated.

With momentum on their side, Cote D'Ivoire aims to turn their dreams into reality by clinching victory in the AFCON final, potentially culminating Faé's rescue mission with a fairytale ending on home soil.