The miracle of Ivory Coast: conquer the Africa Cup with an emergency coach

Ivory Coast, in a tournament filled with setbacks and uncertainties, managed to overcome all the challenges to secure a comeback victory in the final against Nigeria (1-2), earning them their third African Cup title in history.

Despite a poor performance in the group stage, Ivory Coast managed to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. After dismissing coach Jean Louis Gasset, Emerse Fae took charge and led the team on a miraculous journey through each round, culminating in a victory against the tournament favorites in the final.

The team, led by the brilliant Simon Adingra with his two assists, along with the impressive performances of former Barcelona player Frank Kessie and Borussia Dortmund attacker Sebastian Haller, secured their fifth final appearance. Ivory Coast had previously won the title in 1992 and 2015, but had also suffered defeats in 2006 and 2012. With this victory, they now share the same number of trophies as Nigeria, who also has three in their history.

Ivory Coast demonstrated their superiority over their opponent, who had only conceded two goals throughout the tournament. Although Nigeria took the lead just before half-time, with a header from captain William Troost-Ekong, Ivory Coast equalized in the 60th minute through a corner headed in by Frank Kessie.

The winning goal came in the final minutes, just nine minutes before the end of regular time, when Ivory Coast was preparing for extra time. It was a well-executed play from the left, with another precise pass from Simon Adingra into the heart of the box, where Haller anticipated the defenders and netted the ball.

This victory is particularly significant for Haller, who made a remarkable comeback after overcoming testicular cancer and became the hero of Ivory Coast’s triumphant campaign. The team’s achievement also marks the first time a host nation has won the African Cup title since Egypt in 2006.