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Cote d' Ivoire worries Toure's injury ahead of Afcon quarters

Xinhua, January 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Elephants of Cote d' Ivoire are having injury concerns with skipper Yaya Toure struggling after a knock in the 1-0 win over Cameroon at the on-going Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

A limping Toure was substituted after 80 minutes before Cote d' Ivoire saw off their arch rivals to qualify for the last eight on Wednesday.

Toure, who plies his trade for English Premier League side Manchester City, took over the captainship of the team last year after the retirement of Didier Drogba.

"We cannot tell how bad Yaya's injury is for now, but we still have some days to assess the impact before the quarterfinal," said head coach Renard Herve.

Speaking about the win over Cameroon, Herve said it was a hard win.

"For a team of the caliber of Cote d' Ivoire, the competition starts in the quarterfinal. Before that, it is a failure. If you don't go through the first round, people point fingers at you. Now, we will face Algeria in the quarterfinal, a very good team with a lot of attacking talents," said Herve.

Defender Kolo Toure said although they beat Cameroon, they have to go back and correct the weak areas ahead of the quarterfinal because it will not be any easier.

To reach the knock out stage, The Elephants topped Group D with five points after 1-1 draws against Mali and Guinea before picking maximum points on Wednesday night. Endi