Ivory Coast, the host nation, concluded the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in thrilling vogue on Sunday, clinching victory over Nigeria with a 2-1 scoreline within the remaining to safe their third championship title.
Despite dismissing supervisor Jean-Louis Gasset following a lackluster efficiency within the group stage, the Elephants emerged because the standout group of the match, showcasing resilience and dedication en path to lifting the coveted trophy.
Here, we take a better have a look at the standout moments from the most recent version of the match.
Comeback Elephants
After a stunning 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast seemed sure for an early exit.
The Ivorian Football Federation sacked French supervisor Gasset afterward and introduced in former participant Emerse Fae.
Having scraped by means of to the knockout rounds, they edged previous huge favorites and defending champions Senegal on penalties within the spherical of 16 in Fae’s first recreation in cost, then beat Mali in additional time within the quarterfinals and secured a 1-0 victory over DR Congo within the final 4.
Given the nickname “Zombies,” they got here again from the useless as soon as once more to beat Nigeria 2-1 within the remaining after going behind, proving it is best to by no means write off Ivory Coast.
Deeming Black Stars
It was a match to overlook for Ghana, as they did not make it out of the group levels with simply two attracts and a defeat.
A group that included West Ham star Mohammed Kudus, Crystal Palace veteran Jordan Ayew, and Athletic Bilbao ahead Inaki Williams struggled to assist Ghana make any progress within the competitors.
Former Brighton supervisor Chris Hughton was sacked after lower than 12 months in cost, and the Black Stars have began their seek for a brand new coach earlier than the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
Bafana Bafana defy the chances
Not many would have predicted South Africa would attain the semifinals of the match, and Bafana Bafana definitely caught the attention.
Their greatest problem got here once they took on 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco within the spherical of 16.
Goals from Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena sealed a well-known 2-0 victory as PSG star Achraf Hakimi missed a penalty late on for the Moroccans.
New heights for Mauritania
Mauritania certified for AFCON for the primary time of their historical past in 2018, and heading into this yr’s competitors, they’d new hopes of bettering on their final efficiency.
The Lions of Chinguetti had been nonetheless looking for their first win heading into the final group recreation in opposition to Algeria, and so they pulled it off with a shock 1-0 victory to additionally ship them to their first knockout match in opposition to Cape Verde.
Mauritania couldn’t pull off one other upset in opposition to Cape Verde, however they sealed their place in AFCON historical past with a powerful efficiency.
Rise in viewing figures
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that greater than 2 billion folks worldwide watched the match reside on TV.
Deals with many broadcasters have helped enhance figures for the competitors, and CAF president Patrice Motsepe predicts the subsequent match’s viewing figures will likely be even higher.
Source: www.dailysabah.com