Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), played this Sunday in Abidjan.
The “Super Eagles” opened the scoring in the first half, when William Troost-Ekong headed the ball into the Ivory Coast goal after the first corner (38th). But the Elephants equalized in the second half, with Franck Kessié heading to the far post from a cross from Simon Adingra (62nd), and then took the lead when Sebastien Haller cut to the near post from a cross from Adingra (81st).
Nigeria looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over Côte d’Ivoire at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium during the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong – who had scored a penalty to decide the first match – rose to head home to open the scoring at the end of the first half.
However, Franck Kessie equalized shortly after the break and Haller turned in Simon Adingra’s 81st-minute cross, sparking a huge celebration among the sea of orange in the Abidjan stands.
With this triumph, Côte d’Ivoire adds this year’s title to those won in 1992 and 2015 and joins Nigeria with three Nations Cup triumphs.
Only Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana have won the title more times, with the Super Eagles squandering the opportunity to equal their Ghanaian rivals with four victories.
Led by the reigning African player of the year, Osimhen, the Nigerians looked to be the most formidable team in the competition over the last month.
But Ivory Coast were simply too strong and became the first host country to win AFCON since 2006.
18 years ago, Didier Drogba was captain of the team that lost on penalties to Egypt in Cairo.
Playing at home, Côte d’Ivoire won the third continental title in its history, after the triumphs of 1992 and 2015.
2024-02-12 01:50:53