
Hosts Cote D’Ivoire defeated Nigeria 2-1 to lift the AFCON Cup.
The first nineteen minutes saw cagey play from both sides with Cole D’Ivoire pressing Nigeria and having more of the possession.
Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali stopped a shot in the 31st minute as the Ivorians continued to press in the second part of the first half.
Nigeria converted its first corner kick sent it by Ademola Victor and headed into the net by Troost-Ekong.
With four minutes added, CIV still couldn’t score a goal. But succour came the way of the hosts a goal from Kessier and another from their star striker Hallier.
But Nigeria which has a young team coached by Portuguese tactician, Jose Peseiro exceeded earlier expectations.
It took a lot for the team hugely inspired by the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen to get to the final of the prestigious tournament.
The Super Eagles didn’t have a smooth ride neither did their opponent, who sacked their manager with his Indigenous coach taking them to the final.
The Nigerian team started on a jittery note to their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 campaign, but the team showed great match management, conceding few goals and landing into the final.
The three-time champion finished second place in Group A, a much better position than their opponent in the final.
Drawn in a tough Group A consisting of tournament hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
The Super Eagles finished second in their group after worrying 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea saw them bounce back against the Elephants with a narrow 1-0 win and a similar scoreline against Guinea-Bissau which earned them a place in the round of 16.
Round of 16 (Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon)
The round of 16 saw Nigeria getting into rhythm and hitting full speed. An interesting tie between them and Cameroon saw the red-hot Ademola Lookman finding the back of the net twice for his side to send the Indomitable Lions crashing out of the competition.
Quarter-Finals (Nigeria 1-0 Angola)
The quarter finals were not so much of a high scoring match for the Super Eagles as they narrowly edged a resilient Angola 1-0 in Abidjan. While they may not have found the back of the net more than once, the three-time champions demonstrated true champions’ mentality with their impressive game management ability.
Semi-Final ( Nigeria 4-2 South Africa ) on penalties.
Nigeria continued their dominance over South Africa by defeating them on penalties to progress to the finals.
With 120 minutes ending 1-1, Nigeria shown determination and they won on penalties to repeat what happened in 2000 when they knocked out South Africa in the semi-finals also.
Nigeria goes home with the silver medal.
-With additional reporting from CAFonline
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