Ivory Coast Crowned Champions of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

In the Africa Cup of Nations, the host country, Ivory Coast, emerged victorious with a 2-1 win against Nigeria in the final, held at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara.

This marks the third win for Ivory Coast in the competition - their previous victors were in 1992 and 2015.

Indeed, Ivory Coast's journey to the final was overwhelming owing to the fact that they had only one win out of their three games in the group stages, earning them just three points. This result brought about the termination of Jean-Louis Gasset and his replacement with Emerse Fae during the course of the tournament.

Under Fae's leadership, the team displayed a considerable amount of grit and determination, which saw them emerge victorious against Senegal in the round of the sixteen, following a penalty shootout. They then went on to defeat Mali, thanks to a winning goal during extra time. The team progressed to the final after a lone goal from Sebastien Haller toppled DR Congo.

In the final, Ivory Coast found themselves on the backfoot with an initial goal from William Troost-Ekong. However, they managed to reclaim the game in the second half, with Franck Kessie and Haller scoring the winning goals.

Throughout the first half, Ivory Coast largely held the upper hand, with Simon Adingra particularly vexing the Nigerian Defense.

Going against the current of the game, the lead was, however, taken by Nigeria's Captain, Troost-Ekong. The defender scored an impressive goal from a set piece, making it the third for him during the Africa Cup of Nations.

The home team started the second half on a high note, nearly equalizing the scores in the 49th minute through Max Gradel. Once again, Adingra played a vital role by sidestepping Semi Ajayi and passing the ball to Max Gradel whose shot was surprisingly blocked by Calvin Bassey.

Ivory Coast came back with the equalizing goal 60 minutes into the game, thanks to Kessie's brilliant performance. Energized by the goal, the host nation dominated the remaining time as Haller gradually made his presence felt. His game peaked in the last 20 minutes, culminating with an intricate overhead kick, and eventually the decisive goal in the 81st minute.

Haller scored the crucial goal from another assist from Adingra, which saw the ball slice into the top right corner of the net.