On Sunday, February 11, 2024, it was time for one of the football world’s absolute biggest events, when the final of African Championship (AFCON) took place at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, Ivory Coast’s national arena.
It was the host country Ivory Coast who were pitted against favourites Nigeria in the final, two teams that have taken very different paths. Cote d’Ivoire limped on by the slimmest possible margin as they made it out of the group stage as the tournament’s best third, a lifeline of sorts for the team that looked set to flop hugely. Nigeria, on the other hand, went straight through as runners-up in their group and were tipped to make the final as their squad was stronger in almost every position.
It was also Nigeria who took the lead in the match through a headed goal from the captain William Troost-Ekong, who was also awarded the prize for the tournament’s best defender. In the second half, however, the Ivorians got an equalizer through their captain, the former Barcelona player Franck Kessie, who also headed in a corner. After that, the pressure from the home team increased enormously and in the 81st minute, Nigeria could not resist any longer, when the big star Sebastian Haller poked in the ruling from a post.
Sébastien Haller can’t hold back his tears in the interview, the reporter cries with him 😭 That’s how you earn! 💛 pic.twitter.com/csGiXPedvw
— Patric (@gpatric10) February 11, 2024
The win was extra special for Haller, who defeated testicular cancer in 2023 and returned to football for the German big club Borussia Dortmund. During an interview with a local reporter after the game, he couldn’t hold back the tears and they were embraced in an iconic moment that embodied how big the win was, not just on a sporting level.
The winner was Ivory Coast third ever and the first since 2015 when captain Yaya Touré, seen in the stands with legends like Didier Drogba & Salomon Kalou, led the team to victory.
