Cote d'Ivoire neutralise Nigeria to claim third Africa Cup of Nations trophy
Cote d’Ivoire’s three-week odyssey to redemption culminated in a coolly taken 2-1 victory on a humid Sunday night in Abidjan over regional rivals Nigeria. It furnished the hosts with a third Africa Cup of Nations title as well as the love of a nation and a warm embrace from a president who had authorised the billion or so euros to sponsor the psychedelia.
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The adoration was warranted.
Cote d'Ivoire went behind to William Ekong’s header just before half-time. It came against the run-of-play.
But most of what the Ivorians have proposed during the 34th Africa Cup of Nations has operated outside the realms of logic.
Two defeats in the pool stages left the side on the verge of elimination and as they waited to discover whether they would advance to the second phase as the fourth of the four best third-placed teams, football federation bosses replaced head coach Jean-Louis Gasset with one of his assistants Emerse Faé.
"I told the players to keep doing what they had been doing in the first-half," said Faé less than a hour after his charges had been crowned continental champions.
Strategy
"The Nigerians were tiring and I said that if we could keep them chasing the ball then the spaces would open up for us to exploit."
His clairvoyance was vindicated. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali pushed Odilon Kossounou's long-range effort out for a corner just after the hour mark.
Simon Adingra whipped the resulting kick into the box and Franck Kessie rose to power a header over Nwabali for the equaliser.
Nigeria tried to respond but their opponents - nicknamed "the zombies" - had resurfaced and regrouped.
Nine minutes from time, more of Adingra's trickery down the left gained him a yard to send in a cross and Sebastien Haller flicked the ball deftly past Nwabali to the delight of the 50,000 partisans in the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Reaction
Nigeria could not respond. Adingra - who was deemed man-of-the-match - continued to taunt down the wing.
"We did not show our level," conceded the Nigeria boss José Peseiro.
"Congratulations to Cote d'Ivoire, they were better. My players did a fantastic tournament until today. They lost. I lost. We need to accept the result," added the 63-year-old Portuguese.
"I'm sad. We wanted to win. But sometimes you want to win and you don't."
Peseiro admitted he was surprised that the Ivorians seemed to play freely despite the pressure on them as hosts.
"They did not look nervous," he reflected. "My team looked nervous. We kept giving away the ball."
The normally savvy Alex Iwobi and his fellow midfielders appeared unable to distribute intelligently or carry it incisively. Star striker Victor Osimhen scurried and scowled to no effect.
Candidate
The 25-year-old Napoli forward, who entered the tournament as a feared spearhead, left with only one goal eclipsed by Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue - who won the golden boot for his five strikes - and Haller who started the competition injured but scored the winner in the semis and the final.
"I dreamed of winning the Cup of Nations when I was a player," said Faé, a former Cote d'Ivoire international midfielder.
"And I didn't do it. But it has come as a coach. I have to salute my predecessor. It was his team."
President Ouattara was submerged in an embrace from the players before presenting them with the trophy.
"It's been an extraordinary tournament," added Faé. "There have been lots of surprises. It's been beautiful and full of incidents for us. I'm happy for the country.
"When I think of what's happened and all the times that we've been behind. We've gone out and sought the trophy."
A national holiday is likely to be self-declared on Monday.
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