Defeat turned against Nigeria
©IMAGO
Borussia Dortmund’s Sébastien Haller fired Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations title. The host defeated Nigeria 2-1 (0-1) in the final in Abidjan. William Troost-Ekong (38th minute) initially gave the team around top star Victor Osimhen the lead before Franck Kessié (62nd) and Haller (81st) turned the game around for the Ivorians.
Ivory Coast also won the continental championship in 1992 and 2015. At the home tournament this year, the hosts almost failed early with just one win in the preliminary round, but were able to improve in the knockout phase and are now lifting the trophy for the third time. In the game for third place, South Africa won 6-5 on penalties against the Democratic Republic of Congo after not scoring a goal in 120 minutes.
After Haller initially missed making it 2-1 for the Ivorians with a spectacular overhead kick attempt (75′), he did better a little later: the 29-year-old artistically pressed a cross from Simon Adingra onto the near post with his right foot in the long corner. Haller was the winning goal scorer in the Ivorian team’s 1-0 win against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals.
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Nigeria, which won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980, 1994 and 2013, initially presented itself in the final defensively stable and effective at the front. The West Africans only had two attempts on goal in the first half, once with success: goalkeeper Yahia Fofana was powerless to deal with Troost-Ekong’s powerful header. The equalizer also came with a header when Kessié successfully lurked at the far post after a corner. Haller made the triumph perfect in the final phase.
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