Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo, former teammates at Rangers, experienced disappointment in the AFCON tournament as Nigeria fell short, while Ivory Coast emerged victorious as hosts. Bassey, now a Fulham defender, commenced the match against Ivory Coast, whereas Joe Aribo joined the action as a substitute towards the end of the Final held in Abidjan.
Ivory Coast clinched the AFCON trophy with a 2-1 comeback victory, courtesy of a late goal by Sebastian Haller. This victory marked a remarkable conclusion to the month-long African football festival, with Haller, a French-born striker who had battled testicular cancer in 2022, scoring the winning goal.
Initially, Nigeria appeared to have the upper hand, with Troost William-Ekong scoring a stunning header from a poorly cleared corner. However, Ivory Coast leveled the score in the second half, with AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie finding the net from a corner.
In the dying minutes of the match, Sebastian Haller secured the victory for Ivory Coast with a crucial goal, which followed his earlier missed chance with an acrobatic overhead kick.
Overall, Ivory Coast’s victory seemed deserved based on the balance of play, bringing them level with Nigeria in terms of AFCON titles, with each team now having three championships.
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