Sebastien Haller, a cancer survivor, inspired hosts Ivory Coast to their third Africa Cup of Nations victory with a late winner against Nigeria in Abidjan.
Five of the prior six host nations to reach the final had won the AFCON championship, but the Ivory Coast’s involvement in this edition seemed doubtful at first, with a 4-0 group-stage defeat to Equatorial Guinea prompting Jean-Louis Gasset’s mid-tournament dismissal.
The resurgent Elephants, who have acquired the nickname ‘the Zombies’ under interim manager Emerse Fae, fell behind when Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong headed in a 38th-minute opener against the flow of play, but Franck Kessie equalized in the second half.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Haller, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2022 and returned to action with Borussia Dortmund just over a year ago, found the final touch to send the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium into raptures.
Former West Ham striker Haller attempted to put his side ahead early on when he flicked Simon Adingra’s cross wide of Stanley Nwabali’s right post, and, while the Elephants made little use of a few early set-pieces, the hosts dominated the opening action more than their more cautious opponents.
Max Gradel, in his fifth AFCON, sent a bicycle kick from the Ivory Coast’s third corner into the side-netting, and Nigeria had few chances until just after the 25-minute mark, when a brief scuffle broke out after Victor Osimhen claimed he had been elbowed by Evan Ndicka.