AFCON 2024: Côte d’Ivoire Beats Nigeria And Wins The Africa Cup of Nations
The final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday was remarkable for Cote d’Ivoire. In the match between Nigeria and The Ivory Coast, the last one won over Nigeria with a 2-1 victory. The Africa Cup of Nations is the premier football competition for African national teams. The tournament is held every two years. The final match of the AFCON 2024 took place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, the National Stadium of the Ivory Coast in Abidjan. The epic final was broadcasted live on numerous channels. The viewer’s excitement was incredible and phenomenal.
Abidjan streets became living viewing areas, and there must be no people who were playing tonybet casino or watching something else instead of watching the epic final match. And any filmmaker or author approved or must have approved it: It was the legendary match. And after the winning goal by Ivory Coast’s forward Sebastien Haller who brought victory to his team, viewers were overcome with a tumult of joy. This is already the third Africa Cup of Nations trophy for Ivory Coast. This football team already won the African Cup in 1992 and 2015.
The victory was not only a remarkable win for the Ivory Coast, but for Haller himself, who has recovered from an ankle injury and earlier returned from cancer treatment. The first goal in the match was scored by the captain of the Nigerian football team William Troost-Ekong in the 38 minute. After the first half of the match, the Nigerians looked set to win. However, the Ivorians were not about to give up and they showed an abundance of tenacity and determination.
Led by veterans Simon Adingra and Max Gradel, they kept on the offensive, testing the Nigerian defense with a series of attacks. In the final home draw, the Ivorians scrambled and defeated the Nigerian national team 2-1. Sebastien Haller, who scored the winning goal a year after overcoming cancer, was the main hero of the match. Later, the Ivorian Franck Kessié scored the 62nd, and Sebastien Haller the 81nd.
As we have already mentioned, the 29-year-old Haller possibly was the main hero in the final match. Born in France, Haller played for the French Auxerre, Dutch Eredivisie, and German Eintracht Frankfurt. In 2021 he transferred to the Dutch Ajax and as an Ajax player, he won a Dutch KNVB cup. He was also the Eredivisie’s top scorer with 21 goals and seven assists. Haller has been representing the Ivory Coast at the national level since 2020. After the 2021–22 season, Haller signed with Borussia Dortmund.
The player was taken to replace Erling Braut Haaland, the Norwegian footballer, who moved to Manchester City. Twelve days after signing the contract with Borussia Dortmund, Sebastien was diagnosed with a malignant testicular tumor. He underwent two surgeries, and four courses of chemotherapy, and spent six months on sick leave, but overcame the disease. Fortunately, the treatment produced the desired results and allowed Haller to prepare for the next football matches. On January 22 in 2023, Haller even played in football shoes with “f*ck cancer” written on them.
With this victory, the Ivorians became the new champions after the national Senegal football team. By the way, the Nigerians also won the African Cup of Nations several times. They were also clear favorites to win this African Cup of Nations after their win in 2013. And the last season wasn’t good for the Ivorians. Three weeks ago they had a group stage defeat and fired the coach. Therefore, this victory is a glorious comeback for the Ivorians. And who was your favorite for the last AFCON?
