STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Sobbing uncontrollably through his national anthem, Ivory Coast midfielder Serey Die provided one of the evocative images of the World Cup before his team’s match against Colombia on Thursday.

Die never thought he’d play for his country, never mind on world football’s biggest stage, and it was all too much for him.

“My life has always been difficult,” Die said. “It’s true, I thought about my father who died in 2004. I also thought about my tough life — I didn’t think that one day I would be here, playing. This emotion overwhelmed me and I am a very emotional person.

“I fought (against the tears) but I couldn’t.”

Teammate Kolo Toure says “he really loves his country — we don’t see that in football.”

Ivory Coast lost 2-1.

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