Staying true to their tournament form, ‘the Elephants’ made hard work of the final, William Troost-Ekong rose the highest to give Nigeria the lead in the first half. After levelling the score on the 62nd minute, Sebastian Haller converted a Simon Adingra cross to send Ivorians into raptures.
The winning goal coming from Haller felt as though it was meant to be. The Borussia Dortmund striker made his comeback from testicular cancer only 13 months ago after doubt whether he would ever return to the top of the game.
Cote D’Ivoire made heads turn even before winning the tournament. After sacking manager Jean-Louis Gasset following a 4-0 capitulation against Equatorial Guinea in their last group game, most presumed that it was to be the end of the road for ‘the Elephants’ run. No one predicted that Ghana would concede two goals in extra-time to Mozambique, and Morocco would fall to a defeat against Zambia, allowing Cote D’Ivoire to sneak into the round of 16 managerless.
Former Reading manager Emerson Faé was promoted from assistant manager to take the reins in his first managerial role. After a tumultuous group stage, the Ivorians continued to walk on a tightrope, narrowly avoiding elimination. It took an 86th-minute penalty from Franck Kessie to salvage a 1-1 draw against Senegal, going on to win this round of 16 tie on penalties. A 90th-minute equaliser in their quarter-final against Mali preceded a 122nd-minute winner courtesy of Oumar Diakité, setting up a semi-final against DR Congo. Sebastien Haller came up with the goods to send his side to the final, and give their supporters’ hearts a much needed rest.
The pure madness of this tournament can not be understated, Hollywood scriptwriters would surely be taking notes. To put it in perspective cast your mind back to Euro 2021, England have just beaten Croatia thanks to Raheem Sterling and now face Scotland. Instead of the goalless draw that occurred, John McGinn converts a penalty to give the Scots three points. The three lions are then destroyed 4-0 by the Czech Republic and Gareth Southgate is subsequently sacked. England are thought to be out, however, in a last-minute turn of events, they qualify, and Stewart Downing gets the nod to step in and kickstart his managerial career. England squeeze past Germany, produce a memorable comeback against the Ukraine before reaching the final after edging past Denmark. They go on to win the European Championship in the 81st minute. Almost unimaginable right?
AFCON and Cote D’Ivoire’s triumph once again reflects the beauty that football gives us, its ups, its downs. This tournament and team gave us a spectacle that only the most creative of scriptwriters could come up with.