It’s been one month of Africa’s soccer spectacle – and it was one of thrills and upsets, with a happy ending for the host nation. For many soccer buffs, it was indeed an interesting moment on Sunday night, when the Elephants of la Côte d’Ivoire outclassed the Super Eagles of Nigeria as the game ended 2-1 after regulation time of 90 minutes plus add-ons. William Troost-Ekong opened the scoring for the Super Eagles before second-half strikes from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller sealed the win for the host nation.
The win confirms the Ivorians’ second AFCON title in a decade, following their win in 2015. It is also the first time a host nation has won the tournament since Egypt did so in 2006.
The Elephants scraped through the group stages, only qualifying as one of the four best third-place teams at the tournament.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Ivorian team, interim manager Emerse Fae secured a victory over defending champions Senegal and had to come from a goal to beat Mali in the quarter-finals and a nervy 1-0 win over DR Congo in the semis.
The loss means the Super Eagles’ wait for a fourth AFCON triumph continues, with their most recent success coming in 2013.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced a 40% increase in the prize money for the winner ahead of the start of the competition. The victory meant Côte d’Ivoire clinched the gold medal and claimed the revised prize money of $ 7 million as part of winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Super Eagles were hoping for a fourth AFCON title final but were left frustrated at the end of the game. Aside winning the silver medal for finishing second, Nigeria will also take home $4 million.
However, South Africa (third) and DR Congo (fourth) received $2.5 million each while the teams who exited in the quarterfinals received $1.3 million.
Côte d’Ivoire now has the same number of AFCON titles as Nigeria.
