Salomon Kalou encouraged by Cote d’Ivoire resurgence ahead of Mali tie

The Elephants face Mali tonight in Bouaké to battle for a place in the semifinals of the continental tournament.

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Following changes to the technical team, with Emerse Fae replacing sacked Jean-Louis Gasset in the middle of the competition, Kalou has renewed hope.

''From where we came from, nobody expected Cote d’Ivoire to be where it is, at this moment of the competition. I hope for our young brothers to take our national team to the final - It is a great success and if they get to the final it will be really amazing,'' said Kalou. 

Their chances are a lot higher now with the top five FIFA-ranked teams knocked out already in a tournament Kalou says has opened the door for Cote d’Ivoire.   

''We have seen a lot of surprises - teams that people thought would go far in the competition are already out. There is only one team though that is Cote d’Ivoire, let's keep it like this,'' added Kalou.

Kalou is in his home country as part of the CAF legends and ambassadors, and this week he spoke about combining sport and education at an event organised by Africa’s football governing body.

''This is a great initiative from CAF, it is important to inspire the kids - to know that education and sport go together,'' he concluded.

The former Chelsea striker and AFCON winner with Cote d’Ivoire was there to remind the learners of one of the schools in Abidjan that talent alone cannot guarantee success.