Côte d’Ivoire winger Yan Diomande admitted that Hervé Renard’s decision to heavily rotate his team did not work as the Elephants suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in Saturday’s friendly.
Bil Nsongo scored the only goal one minute after half-time, handing Cameroon victory in the 21st meeting between the two West African rivals and disappointing the home supporters at the Alassane Ouattara d’Ebimpé Stadium.
The defeat was Renard’s first since returning as Côte d’Ivoire coach, with the Frenchman making 10 changes to the side that started the 2-0 win over Somalia.
Diomande was introduced at half-time and immediately provided a greater attacking threat, but was candid about the team’s performance when speaking to NCI after the match.
“It is true that it is a friendly, but a Côte d’Ivoire-Cameroon match is always special. We wanted to win, but the coach wanted to try something. Unfortunately, it did not work.”
Renard had used the fixture to assess the depth of his squad, handing Christ Tape, Kassoum Ouattara and Amadou Kone their international debuts.
Key players including Franck Kessie, Diomande and Evan Ndicka were left out of the starting XI as the coach experimented with different options.
Renard accepted responsibility for the defeat after the final whistle, making it clear that the result was a consequence of his decision to rotate the squad.
“I take responsibility for this defeat. I wanted to rotate the team.”
The Frenchman explained that the changes were deliberate, with the friendly providing an opportunity to assess players who have had limited opportunities with the national team.
“I wanted to see all the new players in action in this game. Tonight, I have learned a great deal from the performance of each player. That is why I took this risk.”
The defeat therefore appears unlikely to alter Renard’s broader plans.
With no competitive points at stake, the Cameroon game gave the coach an opportunity to test alternatives and gather information about his squad ahead of more important fixtures.
While the experiment produced Côte d’Ivoire’s first defeat under Renard since his return, both the coach and Diomande acknowledged that the match exposed areas that will need attention as the Elephants prepare for their next competitive assignments.
