Ivory Coast: From best losers to AFCON cup winners in wild run

Daba Finance/Ivory Coast emerges AFCON winner

BREAKING NEWSFebruary 13, 2024 at 10:22 AM UTC

TLDR

Ivory Coast clinches their third Africa Cup of Nations title with a remarkable comeback, defeating Nigeria 2-1.
Sebastian Haller emerges as the hero, scoring the winning goal nine minutes before the end.
Franck Kessie cancels out William Troost-Ekong's first-half header, leading to the victory for the host nation.

Sebastian Haller emerged as the hero for Ivory Coast as they staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Nigeria 2-1 and clinch their third Africa Cup of Nations title.

The host nation thrilled their fans in Abidjan, with Haller sealing the victory by volleying home the winning goal nine minutes from time, after Franck Kessie had canceled out William Troost-Ekong’s first-half header.

The 2-1 triumph in the final against the Super Eagles marked a significant achievement for the Elephants, especially considering Nigeria's status as heavy favorites and their lineup led by the African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen.

Key Takeaways

Despite facing adversity throughout the tournament, including a surprising 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in the group stages and the mid-tournament dismissal of manager Jean-Louis Gasset, who was replaced by assistant Emerse Fae, Ivory Coast managed to overcome the odds. They secured victories by squeaking past Senegal on penalties in the last 16, securing a last-minute equalizer against Mali before edging out the quarter-final in extra time. In the end, Ivory Coast emerged as champions of the Africa Cup of Nations after an exhilarating and unpredictable journey.

Ivory Coast

Nigeria

AFCON

Football

CAF