In the end, it turned out that the zombie team could not really be defeated. A dead child is not afraid of a knife. Ghosts don’t feel pain. There was no way to stop Ivory Coast from winning their third African Cup of Nations. No team outside of league format had ever won a major tournament after losing twice, but the numbers were higher than losses to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in the group stage. They were on the back foot three times in the knockout matches, but each time the team led by Emers Fae came back and won. No one can say that this Ivorian team is one of the greats, but this was one of the great tournament wins.
This is how you win a tournament, qualify from your group as 4th of the top 3 teams, sack your manager and, at least if almost every player interview since then, be believed, you can earn a lot of money. No one would have thought of doing that. In the mirror. But perhaps this is the most fun way to win amidst chaos, incredible laughter and unquenchable will.
But with Ivory Coast’s semi-final victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo, there was a strange sense that the magic had ended. There was nothing diabolical or miraculous about it. It’s just an efficient midfield display. Stand-in coach Fae, who was appointed after the group stage, had asked for exactly such a performance, which he accepted, and he didn’t have to score a ridiculous equalizer in the second half like in the previous two rounds, so for a second There was a cheerful feeling that the second was still going on. The contest ended with a bonus.
Suddenly, expectations were high again. Similar to when Ivory Coast lost twice in the group stage but somehow managed to survive as one of the best third-place teams.
But I also felt grateful. A huge banner thanking the players was unfurled before kick-off (it was later replaced by a giant banner depicting an “elephant commando”, dressed in green combat fatigues). A very henchman and seemingly cheerful pachyderm with an orange vest and a nutty hat). It’s impossible to put a value on something like that, and by the time someone can calculate whether his $1 billion-plus spent on tournaments and associated infrastructure has been a net positive. It will take a long time.
But the truth is that 13 years after the end of the civil war, an image of unity has been shown in the last two weeks, and Ivory Coast’s passage to the final is incredible, as President Alassane Ouattara has called for. , which for most people was not the case. The greatest fun. I’ll never forget the sight of the streets turning orange and white in celebration after Wednesday’s semi-final.
The atmosphere at the start of the final was unusual, with everything but the small green and white spots on the orange stadium showing signs of desperation for the organizers. Cheers erupted after every half-chance, and for the first time since the group stage, Ivory Coast started the match in good form. The match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the semi-finals was also tentative until the first cooling break.
However, although he created a number of half-chances by sending corner kicks and crosses into the box, the clear-cut chance came in the 34th minute when Franck Kessié found Simon Adingra in space on the left side of the box. It was time. However, his shot was deflected away by Stanley Nwabari and no Ivorian player touched the rebound.
After newsletter promotion
And inevitably, their early momentum was wasted as Ivory Coast conceded a goal at Nigeria’s first corner. It is no surprise that Nigeria started cautiously. If ever there was an opportunity to take the energy out of the game and silence the home fans, this was it. But suddenly Alex Iwobi grabbed the loose ball and played it in to Zaidu Sanusi. My touch was unstable due to the poor road surface, but it was enough to win the corner. Then Samuel Chukwueze, who had a somewhat surprising memory of Moses Simon, parried the ensuing pass from Ademola Lookman and looped the ball into the air for William Troost-Ekong to score his fourth goal of the tournament. .
This was the first goal scored in the five finals that Ivory Coast had appeared in, and seemed to put Nigeria in a bright position. They are simply excellent defensively, conceding just two goals in their last six games in the competition, and are coached by José Peceiro, whom Jose Mourinho describes as his best friend in football. It’s easy to see why. They share a certain arrogance, an unapologetic pragmatism. But trying to take the lead and maintain it in traditional Mourinho fashion doesn’t really work in the modern game.
The pressure on Ivory Coast gradually increased. Calvin Bassey blocked Gradel’s goal-bound shot. Mr Seko Fofana was rejected by Mr Nwabali. Then, in the 62nd minute, Kessie headed in Adingra’s corner corner. Nigeria failed to change gears. The only question was when the winner would come. The goal was scored in the 81st minute when Sebastien Haller pushed in Adingra’s cross.
