Ivory Coast manager Herve Renard came out in defence of Yaya Toure, who scored a superb opener in their 3-1 win over DR Congo to see them through to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Some have criticised Toure's performances for Ivory Coast, suggesting that he was not as interested in playing for his country as he was his club, but Renard believed that his performance tonight quashed such rumours.
"I hear a lot of people saying things about Yaya Toure in Africa, but he's a big player" said Renard. "He showed to all the people that this is the semifinal, and suddenly he can do it. It was an amazing goal".
Yaya Toure opened the scoring with a stunning half-volley in the first half. Diermerci Mbokani equalised with a penalty soon after, but goals from Gervinho and Wilfried Kanon secured the win for Les Elephants.
Ames - Ivory Coast power past DR Congo
Renard remains focused on the final, however, saying that there is nothing to celebrate until they win the real prize.
"Yes [we are delighted], but I'm not going to jump everywhere. When you qualify for the final, the most important thing is to win the final".
He also praised the attacking options he has at his disposal, and the creativity his team possesses meaning they can afford to play more defensively.
"In football you have to be very strong from behind," added Renard. "If you are not, you can't win anything, and we have a chance to be able to score any time with the players we have like Gervinho, Wilfried Bony, Max Gradel. You have to put something very strong there to allow them to be free so they can make the difference."