The Elephants reached the last eight with a 3–0 win over Burkina Faso on Thursday, setting up a high-profile clash with record seven-time winners Egypt on Saturday.
Speaking after the match, Faé said his players delivered a focused performance to secure qualification and avoid distractions ahead of the knockout stage.
“The players delivered a complete performance. They played a serious match and showed a lot of determination,” Faé said.
He said his side had deliberately avoided looking beyond Burkina Faso before sealing their place in the quarter-finals.
“We haven’t yet thought about the match or the strategy for Saturday against Egypt. We take things step by step. We didn’t want to look ahead because we first had to qualify by beating Burkina Faso,” he said.
Faé said preparations for Egypt would begin after a short recovery period, with the coaching staff planning to analyze the Pharaohs’ strengths and weaknesses.
“Now that we’ve won, we’ll enjoy tonight and rest well over the next two days. On Friday we’ll prepare for Saturday’s match in the best possible way, look at the strengths and weaknesses of this Egyptian team and try to impose our rhythm,” he said.
The quarter-final pits the tournament’s reigning champions against its most successful side, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
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