Ivory Coast won their third African Cup of Nations title with an emphatic comeback at the Alassane Outtara Stadium against Nigeria on Sunday. They won the match 2-1 in front of jubilated home fans.
The Eagles opened the scoring through their Dutch-Nigerian defender William Troost Ekong in the 38th minute but ‘The Elephants’ pegged one back through their Barcelona midfielder Frank Kessie after the hour mark.
The fate of the winner was written in the destiny of Ivory Coast star striker, Sebastian Haller who rifled the ball home late on in the game and made the home fans erupt in ecstasy.
Very few people could predict the victory of the Ivorians as they finished in third place with only 3 points during the group stage. They were placed in Group A alongside finalists Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea.
Before their historic triumph against Nigeria in the final Ivory Coast had won the AFCON in 1992 and 2015 and the hosts had qualified three times for the World Cup.
Three-time champions Nigeria failed to win the AFCON title in their eighth final appearance despite having a formidable striking force in Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze.
Emerse Fae, the unsung hero and manager of the Ivory Coast team, was appointed as interim manager midway through the group stages in this year’s AFCON while their ex-boss Jean Louis Gasset was sacked putting ‘The Elephants” at the brink of elimination.
With little to no experience in football management, Fae emerged as Ivory Coast’s unlikely hero at the tournament as he helped his country win the continental showpiece dramatically. He was part of the coaching staff during Gasset’s tenure.
The Ivorian’s next assignment will be in the group matches against Gabon and Kenya in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June. They currently sit at the top of their group F in the World Cup qualifiers.
