Africa has a unique champion! The group failed, he fired the coach and starred in the comeback in the final
Anatoly Romanov February 12, 2024, 01:26 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Ivory Coast team snatched victory from Nigeria and sent the stadium into a frenzy.
The Ivory Coast team is the champion of Africa! After a resounding victory over Nigeria in the final, the Nigerian team won the continental trophy for the third time. The Ivorians have caught up with the Nigerians in terms of number of African Cup of Nations won.
Who would have thought that the Ivory Coast team, which suffered two defeats in the group stage (including Nigeria 0:1) and then fired coach Jean-Louis Gasse, would finally reach the final. But a small miracle occurred: under the leadership of a French assistant, the Ivorian Emers Fae, who had almost no independent experience. The new coach and the team harmonized perfectly, so before Ivory Coast’s second meeting with Nigeria in the tournament it was no longer clear who was the favorite. It seems that the “super eagles” class is older, but the orange “elephants” played the role of “number one”. The home team’s advantage in possession of the ball reached 65% compared to 35%.
However, at the beginning they played typical finals football: cautious, at a slow pace. The Ivorians played with a 4-3-3, the Nigerians played with a 5-4-1. But both defended themselves with a central block. Only the home team occasionally exerted some pressure, while the guests quickly sat behind the ball line and hoped to take advantage of the free space for counterattacks. Every moment in a game like this is worth its weight in gold. The Ivory Coast team, out of habit, looked for their center forward Aller with crosses and did not find him. He expected standards. One day, Nigerian defender Zanuzi, who has his name Zaidu written on his shirt, “brought” a set piece out of nowhere, and Gradel almost scored with a shot from above.
How Nigeria and Ivory Coast reached the final:
Little by little the fire of the end was lit. The players’ emotions caused several skirmishes. Lookman patched things up with Aurier, Osimhen with N’Dika. And when the Ivory Coast team seemed to be getting closer to their goal, Nigeria scored! First shot on goal. The captain of the central defender, Trost-Ekong, came out with a kind of super eagle after a corner and a stoppage time, beating Aurier. A very spectacular moment, a beautiful goal. As soon as Nigeria sent the ball into the net, it was as if the sound had gone out in the stands. The elephants got bored and wanted a rest. They seemed to contain Osimhen (10 touches of the ball, 0 shots and passes in 45 minutes), but they still lost the first half.
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After the break, the Ivory Coast team increased its possession percentage to 75%. The hosts continued to rely on the centers and individual actions of their attacking flank players: Gradel on the right and Adingra on the left. Brighton’s tireless Adingra twisted the vertebrae of Nottingham Forest’s Aine and created a great opportunity for Gradel, but he, shooting into a nearly empty goal, managed to hit defender Bassey. The Fae team’s goal, like that of the Nigerians, came from a set piece. The visitors were poorly positioned at the corner, losing Kessier, goalkeeper Nwabili hesitantly left the goal and the former Barcelona midfielder scored with a header.
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The Nigerian team, which is no longer the most creative in this tournament, played very simply in the second half. Portuguese coach José Pezeiro organized the defense, but sacrificed the attack. It’s great when Osimhen or Lookman resolve situations through individual skill, but you could feel how the Napoli striker was suffering without normal support up front. The Ivory Coast team was more proactive even with the score 1:1. Aller almost scored a brilliant goal by shooting through himself in the 75th minute. By that time, the home team’s advantage in shots had become simply gigantic: 16:3 (on goal: 7:1).
And yet, the Borussia Dortmund striker found his goal! Victorious. The Super Eagles finished the game without counterplay. Adingra once again took on Aina on the left flank and made the Ivorians’ 29th cross in this match, and in the box Aller raised his foot like a hockey stick and scored under Trost-Ekong.
The rights to the video belong to Okko.
Only at the end, when there was no other option, did the Nigerians attack in large forces. But the final attack did not bring any chance of scoring for the guests. The home team took all the balls. Osimhen finished the game without batting, it was as if his teammates had abandoned him on an island and forgotten him. A well-deserved victory for Ivory Coast.
