Africa (Commonwealth) _ In the final on Sunday, Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Sébastien Haller, who helped the host team win an incredible Africa Cup of Nations championship.
Franck Kessié had tied the game in the 62nd minute, but Haller’s close-range strike in the 81st completed the comeback. After winning on penalties in 1992 and 2015, this was Ivory Coast’s third championship. Just over a year after returning from cancer treatment, Haller’s second goal in as many games after overcoming an ankle ailment that held him out of the group stage capped a personal victory.
William Troost-Ekong, the captain of Nigeria, struck against the flow of play in the 38th minute by a header to a corner. After Haller’s score, the Super Eagles collapsed in the first half but barely made another strong effort to level.
Troost-Ekong also scored in Nigeria’s 1-0 victory during their last meeting in the group stage. The Elephants’ problems had just begun with that match; in their subsequent encounter, Ivory Coast was all but eliminated. After firing its coach, the squad overcame Senegal and Mali in the elimination round, and Haller’s game-winning goal against Congo in the semifinals propelled them into the championship.
Many pious Ivorians believed that God was supporting Ivory Coast because of the team’s incredible comeback after setback and eventual elimination from the knockout round. Emerse Faé, the interim coach and former assistant who assumed over on his 40th birthday, said it was an incredible tournament.
Nigeria let up as many goals in the championship match as it had in any of its other tournament games. A strong defense was Coach José Peseiro’s main bet to win what would have been the Super Eagles’ fourth championship.
Although we had a great tournament, Peseiro claimed that Côte d’Ivoire was superior today. The Portuguese coach praised the home squad for their lack of effort and said that the pressure got to his players.
Ivory Coast’s relentless pressure eventually paid off in the final, when Kessié’s header to Adingra’s corner sparked wild celebrations at the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium. With a salute, Kessié rushed to the corner, and the sea of orange-clad fans rippled with excitement as he did so. Behind one of the goals, a tiny group of Nigerian supporters dressed in green and white had failed to register an impression.
The victory of Haller initiated festivities that would last throughout the night in Abidjan and throughout the 27.5 million-person nation. Days before, in the Adjamé neighborhood, fans had been setting up plastic tables and chairs in front of TV screens to create watching areas on the streets, and the game was being broadcast in fan zones all across the city.
Hours before kickoff, traffic surrounding the stadium was reduced to a crawl, giving street sellers a captive audience to sell a variety of goods, including cold water bottles, fruit, snacks, Ivory Coast flags, caps, wigs, and towels, as well as replica jerseys for both teams.
However, it made it difficult for the Nigerian team bus to arrive to the match. Drivers caught in traffic outside the stadium were desperately encouraged by armed troops to stop so that the bus and security detail could pass.
To get to the game, fans had to get off the halted commuter bus and walk. Nigeria appeared to be the most formidable squad participating in the 2023 AFCON event. The Super Eagles were starting to be favored to win the trophy as so many other pre-tournament favorites faded away.
The inquest will focus on one question: Did Osimhen get enough supplies during the whole tournament?
There was a five-man defense on the other end. Was Nigeria supposed to be more daring? Right now, all we can do is conjecture. Adingra took up the title of Best Young Player in addition to Player of the Final.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who arrived from the Asian Cup final on Saturday, and CAF President Patrice Motsepe gave the trophy to the president of Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast has started celebrating the victory nationwide, with people dancing in the streets and honoring the players with welcoming rituals in several regions of the nation.
