The Africa Cup of Nations finishes on Sunday, with Ivory Coast looking to cap a historic reversal in fortunes by becoming the first host team to win the trophy in 18 years when they face Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen in the final.
The match kicks off at 2000 GMT at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium on the outskirts of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic hub, where Nigeria overcame the tournament hosts 1-0 in the group round.
After a month of action, the most exciting AFCON in recent memory has resulted in an intriguing heavyweight final matchup between two West African football powerhouses.
Eleven years after their last continental championship, Nigeria is looking to win their fourth title, matching the score of old rivals Ghana – only Egypt with seven and Cameroon with five have won the Cup of Nations more frequently.
Meanwhile, if Ivory Coast wins the Cup of Nations for the first time since 2015, they will equal Nigeria’s record of three titles.
The Elephants are the first host nation to reach the final since Egypt won the championship on penalties against the Ivorians in Cairo in 2006.
However, after a dismal 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea on January 22, their heaviest ever home defeat, they were on the verge of being only the second host country in 30 years to be eliminated in the group stage.
The shellshocked Ivorians parted ways with coach Jean-Louis Gasset, their hopes of reaching the last 16 seemingly dashed, until being rescued by a string of positive results elsewhere, allowing them to advance among the best third-placed teams.
Under interim coach Emerse Fae, their comeback has been pretty remarkable.
Ivory Coast defeated holders Senegal on penalties in the last 16 in the capital Yamoussoukro, then came from behind — despite being reduced to ten men in the first half — to defeat Mali 2-1 in Bouake in the quarter-finals, with a winner at the end of extra time.
They then returned to Ebimpe to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals, due to a single Sebastien Haller goal.
– ‘Backs against the wall’ –
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” said Haller, the Borussia Dortmund striker, on Saturday.
“When you sink as low as we did, we no longer had any choice. Our backs were against the wall. We had to take a good look at ourselves and sort things out.”
Fae had never managed a team before being thrust into the spotlight mid-tournament.
Fae, who played with Didier Drogba and the Toure brothers in the Elephants’ 2006 final loss, now hopes to follow in the footsteps of Senegal’s Aliou Cisse, who lost a final as a player before winning as a coach in Cameroon in 2022.
“We have a great opportunity to keep the trophy at home,” added Fae, who must now be a contender to win the post permanently, regardless of the outcome on Sunday.
Ivory Coast’s tumultuous campaign contrasts sharply with Nigeria’s under veteran Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro.
Injuries and unimpressive form cast severe doubt on the Super Eagles’ chances entering the event.
They started with a poor 1-1 tie against Equatorial Guinea, but Peseiro responded by implementing a new system that had three central defenders, and the results have been spectacular.
Nigeria has only conceded one goal in their last five games, a penalty in the semi-final against South Africa.
Osimhen, the reigning African footballer of the year, has only scored once at this AFCON, but his tireless displays have been impressive, with the Napoli striker clearly motivated by a burning desire to win the trophy.
“We’re pleased with what we’ve accomplished so far, but now all we want is to win,” Peseiro said on Saturday.
Nigeria were waiting to see if wing-back Zaidu Sanusi was fit, while Fae claimed that numerous Ivory Coast players had picked up injuries since the semi-final.
However, Serge Aurier, Odilon Kossounou, Christian Kouame, and Oumar Diakite will hope to return after missing the DR Congo match due to suspension.