Côte d'Ivoire na dawowarsu zuwa FIFA World Cup wannan Lahadi karo na farko cikin sama da shekaru goma, inda za su bude kamfen ɗin su na Rukuni E da Ecuador a Lincoln Financial Field a Philadelphia. Masu riƙe da kambun Afrika na yanzu suna ɗauke da babban buri: a ƙarshe su wuce matakin rukuni, bayan gazawa sau uku a jere a 2006, 2010, da 2014.

A kowane ɗaya daga waɗancan shiga, ƙarni da aka yaba wanda Didier Drogba ke jagoranta ya fadi a katangar farko. Babban koci Emerse Faé da 'yan wasansa sun yi azama su sake rubuta wannan labarin, tun daga wasan farko na Lahadi.

"Wannan wasan farko yana da matukar muhimmanci," in ji ɗan wasan gefen dama Guéla Doué. "Mun san cewa cin nasara a wasan ɗinmu na buɗewa zai sa mu cikin wuri mai ƙarfi don sauran gasar. Muna kusantar wannan wasan da maida hankali da himma na ƙoli."

Sabuwar ƙarni marar tsoro

Abin da ke bambance wannan ɗan wasa ta Ivorian daga waɗanda suka gabace ta shi ne ɗanɗanon 'yan wasanta. Babu ɗan wasa ko ɗaya a ƙungiyar Faé da ya taɓa buga FIFA World Cup. Doué yana kwatanta abokan wasansa da "sabbi, masu ɗokin ci gaba da rashin tsoro" — kuma maimakon wannan rashin ƙwarewa ya dame su, 'yan wasansa suna alfahari da shi.

Dan wasan reshen Hoffenheim Bazoumana Touré, ɗan shekara 20, ya bayyana yanayin da ke cikin sansanin. "Da zarar wasan ya fara, ina tsammanin jikina zai yi sanyi," in ji shi. "Buga wasa a World Cup shine babban mafarki. Mun girma muna kallon 'yan wasa kamar Gervinho da Didier Drogba suna wakiltar ƙasarmu. Yanzu lokacin namu ne mu sa al'umma alfarma."

Ecuador: jarrabawa ta jiki da dabara

Buɗe wasan Côte d'Ivoire a Rukuni E yana kawo jarrabawa ta nan take ta halin da suke ciki da wata ƙungiyar Ecuador da aka sani da tsarin kare da ƙarfin jiki. Faé ba ya ɓoye wahalar da ke gabansu.

"Zai zama wasa mai wahala da ƙarfi da ƙananan bayanai na iya yanke shi," in ji kocin. "Amma game da ƙarfi da sadaukarwa, ban da damuwa ko kaɗan. 'Yan wasana sun shirya don ƙalubalantar."

Touré ya nuna wannan amincewa, yana mai tabbatar da cewa Elephants suna da kayan kai hari da za su dame abokan hamayyarsu na Kudancin Amirka. "Su ƙungiya ce mai ƙarfin jiki, amma mu ma haka," in ji shi. "Muna da 'yan wasa da za su iya bude kowane tsaro. Kowa yana cikin ƙolin yanayi, kuma ina tsammanin Ecuador na iya mamaki da hari da kuzarinmu."

Masu zura kwallo bakwai, sako ɗaya

Siffar Côte d'Ivoire kafin gasar tana ba da ƙaƙƙarfar shaida game da zurfinsu. A wasannin shirye-shirye, Elephants sun doke Scotland 1-0, Korea Republic 4-0, da France 2-1 — tare da 'yan wasa bakwai daban-daban sun raba kwallaye bakwai a waɗannan nasarori uku.

Wannan bambancin a kai harinsu ba wani haɗari bane. Faé ya mai da rashin tabbas wani ginshiƙin dabara. "Da kayan nazari na zamani, abokan hamayya za su iya nazarin kowace ɓangare ta wasanku," ya bayyana. "Don cin nasara a wannan matakin, dole ne ka zama marar tsammani kuma mai kirkiro. Muddin tsarinmu na tsaro yana da ƙarfi, ina son ba 'yan wasana 'yanci a kai hari."

Al'umma gaba ɗaya tana kallon dawowar da aka yi jira tsawon lokaci zuwa babban fagen kwallon ƙafa a duniya: Côte d'Ivoire sun iso Philadelphia ba kawai don shiga gasa ba — amma don yin tarihi.