Ivory Coast won the 2023 AFCON final over Nigeria courtesy of a late goal from Sébastien Haller in a 2-1 scoreline on Sunday evening.
The Borrusia Dortmund hitman got the ball in the back of the net at 9 minutes to the end of regulation time after former Barçelona midfielder, Kessie, equalized in the 62nd minute.
They equal the No. of AFCON titles the Super Eagles have as their first two wins were courtesy of penalty shootouts in 1992 and 2015 respectively.
Max Gradel, former Ivory Coast international has praised the team for bringing joy to the country. He said he still needs some time to process the incredible feet the Elephants attained last night and that the most important thing is the trophy the team won.
Representing the national team is everything, and to have brought joy to all Ivorians with what I’ve done is even more incredible.
Perhaps I don’t realize everything that happened today yet, there are too many things in my head, but I think I’ll take some time to realize it.
The most important thing is that Ivorians are proud of the team and I think they are that tonight. Winning the Africa Cup this evening, there is nothing better, nothing better.
Gradel said
The winning goal is Haller’s second goal in the tournament after coming back from injury that didn’t allow him to partake at the group phase of the competition.
The Super Eagles were dominated in the first half but still got the early lead from a corner in the 38th minute thanks to the captain of the side, Troost Ekong. It was a bad night for the Nigerian team as they only showed little brilliance in the whole game after Haller’s winning goal.
Recall that Ekong also scored the winning and only goal against the Elephants at the group phase. The champions were almost eliminated at the stage, but things turned around for them after they sacked their head coach and opted for an interim coach who got them through to the knockout phase as best loser. Senegal, Mali and DR Congo were the teams they defeated on their way to the final
Many Ivorians believe they were highly favoured as they didn’t see the turning around getting them to the final not to talk of the trophy. The interim coach of the side, Emerse Faé also share that belief;
It was an extraordinary tournament,”
Faé said
The Nigerian coach was confident his defense in the tournament would come through for the team but they fell short on the night. He also said the winners were better than them in the match as they handled the pressure well unlike his team.
We played a fantastic tournament, but today Côte d’Ivoire was better,” Peseiro said.
Peseiro said
Kessié’s equalizer brought the Ivorians out of pressure after he was assisted by Adingra. The Al- Ahli midfielder did his trademark celebration as the Ivorian fans shouted and celebrated in joy. However, this wasn’t the same for the Super Eagles fans as chants of the host nation dominated theirs.
Anticipation for the 2023 AFCON final was on another level as the streets in the country were turned into football viewing centers. Chairs and TVs were put around town to show the match.
As a result, vendors around the stadium sold more than what they expected.
However, the traffic caused the Nigerian team some time from getting to the stadium but they were helped by the armed soldiers who secure their passage to the stadium. Fans had to walk to the stadium due to the gridlock.
