Wilfried Bony said he was pleased, but focused entirely on the finals following the Ivory Coast's 3-1 semifinal win over DR Congo that helped his team book their place in the final of Africa Cup of Nations.
"We are happy about the match," said Bony. "This is the one step in our life, we need to enjoy this night and be ready for the game on the Sunday, so we will do our best".
Ivory Coast have had a torrid time at Africa's premier tournament in recent years. They've often been disappointing as favourites, including a dramatic finals loss to Zambia in the 2012 tournament. However, Bony seems keen for this not to happen again, and is focused on bringing the trophy back to the people of his country.
"We don't care about who we play in the final. We just care about bringing back the cup at home," said Bony.
Ames: Ivory Coast power past DR Congo
The other semifinal is between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea to decide who Les Elephants will face in the final. He had praise for their Congolese opponents, while also praising the Ivorian defence for not succumbing to their attacking prowess.
"Today was a tough game, they played very well," said Bony. "Their wingers are very fast, they create a lot of space, a lot of chances, but we remained compact and the most important thing was that we won today. We are very happy about that".
There was a lot of pressure prior to the match after they lost 4-3 in the Ivorian capital Abidjan to DR Congo during qualifying, but it is something they evidently managed to overcome today. Similarly, they are not thinking about their record in Cup of Nations previously, having not won the tournament since 1992.
"We will not be thinking about [the 23 years since we won the Cup of Nations]. We will be thinking just about the trophy. The most important is the cup".