The African Cup of Nations 2023 has been won by the host nation, Cote D’Ivoire wondrously and unforgettably.
Cote D’Ivoire sailed through all the facets of the competition in the most difficult means football can ever be played. Having won just a game in the group stages and only had the opportunity to progress into the next stage as a result of being the fourth-best third-placed teams in the group stage.
With immediate effect, the Ivorian Football Association gave the directive of relieving their head coach of his job after his abysmal performance in the group stages and appointed the assistant coach, Emerys Fae as their interim coach.
In their round of the sixteenth game, they dispatched the defending champions in an astonishing situation. Senegal were kicked out of the tournament after 120 minutes of football and winning through penalty kicks.
Gradually, Cote D’Ivoire was gathering momentum into the tournament especially having more support from the vociferous number twelve side, which is their support base.
Cote D’Ivoire booked their ticket into the quarter-finals of the competition by finding a way of handing over the existing ticket to Mali after their team went a man down in the 43rd minute, found an equalizing goal in the dying embers of 90 minutes and finally secured the winning goal in the second minute of Extra Time of the game.
They further fought hard to qualify for the Semi-finals which they stamped their authority in their game against DR Congo by beating them by one goal to book a ticket into the grand finale.
Cote D’Ivoire displayed to the world the quality their team possessed by putting up a convincing performance to beat Nigerian in the final by a 2:1 score line to make their dreams of hosting and winning the 2023 African Cup of Nations a reality.
