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Disaster for Bailly and Amad as Ivory Coast miss out on World Cup 2022

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Ivory Coast have been eliminated from World Cup 2022 after losing a vital qualification fixture, with two Manchester United players impacted.

Eric Bailly started for Ivory Coast against Cameroon, with his country requiring just a draw to reach the final qualifying phase.

Instead Ivory Coast were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon and have been knocked out.

International friendly match"Japan v Ivory Coast"
Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images

It is a disaster for a country which made the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, before failing to qualify in 2018.

It means Bailly misses out on a second successive tournament and has not played a World Cup finals.

The defeat is a real blow for a player who has had a tough start to the season, starting only one Premier League game.

A blow for Amad too

While Amad Diallo did not feature for Ivory Coast against Cameroon, this is a serious blow for him too.

Amad was not called into the squad due to his recovery from a recent injury, with the coach deciding he was not required. He made his international debut earlier this year.

There was a strong chance Amad would have made the World Cup 2022 squad had Ivory Coast qualified for the tournament.

Cote d'Ivoire v Saudi Arabia: Men's Football - Olympics: Day -1
Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images

Now the World Cup is deprived the chance for one of the brightest talents in football to show his qualities at the tournament.

It is a real shame for Amad, and the Ivory Coast as a whole.

Cameroon go through to a final qualifying round where they will compete against another of the 10 group winners, with five countries qualifying for the tournament in Qatar.