In the wake of their 2015 CAF Africa Cup of Nations tournament exit at the hands of rivals Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon skipper Stephane Mbia said they gave everything on the pitch.

The Indomitable Lions lost by 1-0 courtesy of a classy strike by Max Gradel in the first-half, however Volker Finke’s side tried all they could to find an equaliser but it was all in vain as their road came to an end in the 30th edition of the tournament.

Mbia missed the first match for the side due to a red card he received in the final qualifiers match against the same Ivorian side.

“We gave everything on the pitch but it is a disappointment, we didn’t qualify but we need to remain positive,” said Mbia.

“The team is very young and the best is still to come. We faced them in the qualifiers but here the context was different.

“We must be fair-play, they deserved it, they went through - good luck to Côte d’Ivoire.

“We need to be realistic, the most important now is to prepare for the future competitions.”

The Elephants finished as Group D winners with five points after playing two draws, in the other group match, Mali played to a 1-1 draw against Guinea.

The team to join Cote d’Ivoire in the quarter-finals is set to be decided this afternoon in a draw which will be conducted by CAF boss, Issa Hayatou in Malabo.