Sebastian Haller emerged as the savior when Ivory Coast rallied from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Nigeria, clinching their third Africa Cup of Nations championship.
In a thrilling match that took place in Abidjan, the home team delighted their fans with an impressive comeback. Haller sealed the triumph by volleying in the winning goal just nine minutes before the final whistle, following Franck Kessie’s equalizer that nullified William Troost-Ekong’s first-half header.
Ivory Coast displayed a strong start and created numerous scoring opportunities in the opening half, with Max Gradel and Simon Adingra coming close to finding the back of the net.
Nigeria, however, managed to take the lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half when Troost-Ekong scored his third goal of the tournament with a header.
The Super Eagles had an impressive record of being undefeated in their previous 22 matches in the competition when they scored first. However, the hosts quickly responded just after the hour mark when Kessie scored a header from Adingra’s corner.
Adingra played a crucial role once again as the Elephants secured a thrilling victory in the 81st minute. The Brighton & Hove Albion winger provided a cross for Haller, who skillfully poked the ball past Stanley Nwabali at the near post.
