Namibia 1-4 Ivory Coast: 3 Reasons why the The Elephants dominated the match | African Cup of Nations 2019

#2 Serey Die and Franck Kessie were exceptional in the midfield

Kessie provided three assists in the game.

Serey Die was captaining his side in absence of Serge Aurier and led by example on the pitch putting in a fighting performance in the midfield. He was instrumental in breaking up the Namibian play and also managed to get his first international goal since 2017 with his second-half strike.

His midfield partner Kessie, too, was highly involved in the victory by the Ivorians as he bagged a hat-trick of assists in the match, all the while keeping a check on the runs of attackers from the opposition half.

Franck Kessié is the first player at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations to provide a hat-trick of assists.🅰️ for Gradel🅰️ for Zaha🅰️ for CornetHe now has more assists than any other player at the tournament. #AFCON2019 pic.twitter.com/xn0LOdo7MU

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 1, 2019

The two box-to-box midfielders looked composed when in possession and were actively involved in the counter-attacking strategy implemented by the gaffer.

The duo hitting fine form just before the crucial knockout games bodes well for the 2015 champions.