Côte d’Ivoire triumphed 2-1 over Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations final match on Sunday at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan.
The Nigerian Super Eagles initially led after their captain William Troost-Ekong scored a goal in the 38th minute.
Ivorian team, Les Elephants, levelled the score thanks to Franck Kessie’s goal, assisted by Simon Adingra – the former Union Saint-Gilloise player. Adingra also found Sebastien Haller, who scored the winning goal in the 81st minute.
A few other players from the Belgian league featured in the game. Jean-Thierry Lazare Amani, the Brussels-based player of Union Saint-Gilloise, entered the Ivorian ranks in injury time (90+2). Alhassan Yusuf from Antwerp was subbed on the Nigerian side in the 79th minute while Raphaël Onyedika from Club Bruges remained on the bench.
This marks the third victory for Côte d’Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations, following triumphs in 1992 and 2015. Les Elephants also reached the finals in 2006 and 2012, securing third place in the years 1965, 1968, 1986, and 1994, and fourth in 1970 and 2008.
Nigeria has an equivalent record of three wins in the tournament, in 1980, 1994, and 2013. Sunday’s final marks the Super Eagles’ fifth loss, after finals in 1984, 1988, 1990, and 2000.
In the third-place match on Saturday, South Africa, coached by Hugo Broos, defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties.
