Salomon Kalou admits Ivory Coast have struggled to handle the pressure of playing at the World Cup.
Chelsea striker accepts Ivory Coast have wilted under pressure
Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou admits Ivory Coast have struggled to handle the pressure of leading African hopes at the World Cup.
The Elephants were expected to be the strongest African nation in the first finals to be staged on African soil.
Although they were drawn in Group G with Brazil and Portugal, it was hoped Sven Goran Eriksson's men would pull off a win against one of the
powerhouses given they now have a host of players with top European clubs.
Yet they failed to impress in a 0-0 draw with Portugal before losing 3-1 to Brazil.
That has meant their only hope of getting into the second round is if they hammer minnows North Korea on Friday and Brazil beat Portugal, while Ivory Coast must also wipe out a nine-goal deficit in goal difference.
Ghana have ensured there will be one African team in the knock-out stages in South Africa but Kalou, 24, feels Ivory Coast have let themselves down.
Crushed
"Expectations were huge and we owed it to ourselves to perform well," he told
The Sun.
"But the pressure has caused us more stress than anything and even inhibited our talents.
"All of us have put lots of pressure on ourselves because this World Cup is being played on our continent.
"There have been a few players who haven't been up to the standard required.
"Their abilities have been crushed by the pressure they've put on their own shoulders."
This is the nation's second World Cup after reaching the finals for the first time in 2006, when they failed to make it beyond the group stage in Germany.
This could be the last World Cup for star striker and captain Didier Drogba as Kalou's Chelsea strike partner will be 36 come Brazil 2014.
But Kalou added: "If Didier is still in good shape, I hope he'll be able to come along. We owe him respect."
