Ivorian footballer E. Bailly competes for the Ivory Coast national team and Ligue 1 club Marseille while on loan from Premier League club Manchester United.
E. Bailly can play as a right-back in addition to his primary position as a centre defender.
Prior to joining Villarreal, E. Bailly began his professional career at Espanyol in Spain. He played for the team for two seasons before deciding to join Manchester United in June 2016.
Disastrous Error by Manchester United’s E. Bailly Gifts Spain Last-Gasp Equalizer in Tokyo Olympics Quarter-Final
The Ivory Coast’s quarterfinal match against Spain at the Tokyo Olympics was led by E. Bailly of Manchester United.
The Ivory Coast was on track for a 2-1 lead going into the final few seconds of the game after the defender gave his nation a startling first-half lead by heading in a corner.
The Ivorian defence made a mess of a Spanish cross from the right side, but E. Bailly was in the correct place to deal with the clearance as the ball soared into the air.
Rafa Mir, a substitute, applied minimal pressure to E. Bailly, who miscalculated his jump.
Causing the ball to trickle down the back of his head and into the path of Mir, who joyfully hooked in the equaliser.
In extra time, further anguish awaited E. Bailly when the defender committed a handball in his own area, allowing Spain to score from the spot and win the game.
Mikel Oyarzabal complied, and late in the game Mir finished off his hat-trick to make it 5-2 and complete an amazing comeback.
After defeating New Zealand on penalties, the Europeans will now play Japan in the semi-final.
E. Bailly of Man United went all out. E. Bailly plays for Ivory Coast against Spain in the Olympic quarterfinals.
Man United’s E. Bailly in Ivory Coast’s Olympics QF v Spain
Ivory Coast and Bailly got off to a great start when he handed his team the lead. In the 10th minute, Bailly rose to take a corner, and the Man United player unorthodoxly bundled the ball into the goal.
When Max Gradel scored it 2-1 in stoppage time, it appeared as though Ivory Coast would go to the semifinals. Spain restored parity through Dani Olmo.
However, Bailly’s laughably poor defending allowed Spain to tie the score a minute later, turning the once-hero into a zero.
Rafa Mir seized the chance after the ball hit Bailly in the head and bounced to him after Bailly failed to clear his lines inside the box.
Conclusion
E. Bailly, a Bingerville native, enrolled in Espanyol’s youth programme in December 2011 at the age of 17.
After competing in a youth competition in Burkina Faso that was sponsored by the Spanish company Promoesport, Bailly was noticed by Emilio Montagut of Espanyol.
E. Bailly is mistakenly listed as Eric Bertrand in certain historical sources from that time (his middle name misinterpreted as his paternal surname).
E. Bailly didn’t get a work permit until October of the following year, but he made his senior debut with the reserves in Segunda División B during the 2013–14 season.
