The Sunday night match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast was an intense and exciting event that saw the Ivoriens come out on top with a stunning comeback. Despite the Super Eagles taking the lead thanks to a corner-kick nodded in by William-Troost Ekong, Ivory Coast ramped up their attempts to find an equalizer and finally succeeded in the 61st minute when Franck Kessie headed home another corner-kick to make it 1-1. The hosts continued to dominate proceedings, keeping Nigeria on the back foot for much of the game.
However, in the 81st minute, Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastian Haller scored the winning goal with his back foot, poking home a cross by Adingra to complete a remarkable turnaround for Ivory Coast.
Nigeria made frantic late efforts to find an equalizer before the final whistle, but they were unable to break through Ivory Coast’s defense.
This loss was a tough pill to swallow for Nigeria, who had their fourth AFCON trophy on the line going into the game. It was also their fifth AFCON final loss, more than any other team in the history of the tournament. In contrast, the Ivoriens have only been in five finals and have won three, cementing their status as a formidable force in African football.
Interestingly, Ivory Coast has now joined other African countries that have hosted and won the tournament, a feat that has not been achieved by any country that has hosted and lost in the final. This historic win was all the more impressive given that Ivory Coast was on the brink of group-stage exit earlier in the tournament.
Looking ahead, the 2025 AFCON will be hosted in Morocco, with the qualifiers set to kick off in March 2024. Fans around the continent will be eagerly anticipating the next installment of this exciting tournament.
