Afcon 2021: Badra’s dad can be proud - Beaumelle lauds Ivory Coast stopper

Badra Ali Sangare’s late father can be proud of the Ivory Coast goalkeeper’s performance against Algeria in the Elephants’ 3-1 Africa Cup of Nations triumph on Thursday, according to head coach Patrice Beaumelle.

Sangare has endured a devastating week in the Nations Cup, with his father passing away only hours after the keeper’s late howler against Sierra Leone cost the Ivorians two points in a 2-2 draw.

Despite suffering a knee injury in that match that curtailed his participation against the Leone Stars, Sangare bounced back both from his physical injuries and personal tragedies to start against the reigning champions.

Not only that, but the veteran stopper made a series of big saves to keep the Fennecs at bay and ultimately eliminate them from the competition.

“My thoughts are with the Sangare family,” Beaumelle told GOAL after his side’s triumph, “his father now rests in peace, but his dad can be proud of him, he’s a man.”

The French coach also moved to put the stopper’s error in the Elephants’ second match behind him, with Beaumelle confident that Sangare learned the value of strong focus the hard way.

“I didn’t have a lot to say to Badra, there wasn’t a lot to talk about,” he continued. “The Afcon is about concentration, from the morning when we wake up to the evening when we go to bed, through warm-ups, stretches.

“These are the little details that tell in a match. We paid cash in the last match with this little error of concentration.

“It proves how much you must stay focused,” he added. “There’s no need to talk about it, it can happen to anyone. There’s no need to think about it anymore.”

Sangare’s strong performance, as well as goals from Nicolas Pepe, Franck Kessie and Max-Alain Gradel ensured the Elephants advanced to the Last 16 with seven points, their only blemish being the draw with Sierra Leone.

Sangare was not originally intended to be the Ivorians’ No. 1 at the tournament but was promoted to a starting role following Sylvain Gbohouo’s suspension on the eve of the competition for testing positive for a banned substance.