Ivory Coast crowned AFCON champions as Haller seals fairytale comeback

 

Hosts Ivory Coast completed one of Africa Cup of Nations' most memorable comebacks to be crowned champions of Africa for a third time as Nigeria were beaten 2-1 in Abidjan.

Nigeria captain and former Watford centre-back William Troost-Ekong headed the Super Eagles in front against the run of play at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium (38)

Franck Kessie rose at the far post to meet Simon Adingra's corner to deservedly level matters (61).

Ivory Coast looked set for an early exit when they lost their final group game 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea but scraped through to the knockout phase before beating Senegal, Mali and DR Congo.

But Sebastien Haller met another Adingra cross to superbly flick home the winner (81) for his most important contribution in an Ivory Coast shirt.

It was a poignant moment for the former West Ham striker, who has battled back from being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 and will now go down in history among all Ivorians after their third AFCON triumph.