AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast defeat Nigeria 2-1 to win third title
By Biwah Bryan
From a rocky start to an incredible finish, the Elephants of Ivory Coast overcame a deficit in the finals, beat Nigeria 2-1 to win the 2023 AFCON title.
Ivory Coast had a cheeky start, but found themselves trailing after Nigeria’s captain William Troost netted a header early in the second half to serve Nigeria a 1-0 lead.
With a few substitutes, Ivory Coast came knocking and found an equalizer in the 62nd minute when Frank Kessie returned the favor to Nigeria with a header from a corner kick.
Buoyed by the equalizer, Ivory Coast continued to attack and finally found their winning goal courtesy of a Sebastien Haller strike after he was brilliantly set up by Simon Adingra’s pass.
This victory marks Ivory Coast’s third AFCON title and makes them the first home country to win the title since Egypt in 2006.
Their victory is an achievement for a team who were on the brink of elimination in the group stage after suffering a humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea.
