The African Cup of Nations 2023, which actually took place in January-February 2024, traditionally was not even noticed by many fans - and this despite about 250 representatives from only the top 5 European football leagues, with a lot of football players of a slightly more modest level, but still very strong. Another part of the fans, having learned that the hosts of the tournament were triumphant in Africa, as well as at the Asian Cup that was taking place in parallel, also kicked the joke - they say, everything is clear, they pulled the ears.
However, in fact, the victory of the Ivorians at the home of African Cup of Nations was not at all far-fetched - at least the draw was not remembered for loud refereeing scandals. If you like sports betting, go to mostbetlive.com/uz/, and we will try to prove that the triumph of the “Elephants” is very cool.
Indescribable support
Everyone who has watched the African Cup of Nations at least once notes that African fans look much more interesting than European ones. The stands during national team matches always look like there is a carnival going on there. Fans devote themselves entirely to supporting their own - they dress in colorful clothes and paint their faces in the colors of the national flag, and instead of drums, brass bands are quite common.
However, they root most clearly for their own people. Now let’s imagine how many fans in Africa can actually travel to another country for football. Take into account all the nuances: the poverty of the bulk of the population, the lack of developed (compared to Europe) transport links, and simply the substantial size of the continent with its vast distances.
It is natural that people in the stands cheered for Ivory Coast much more than for anyone else. For a completely neutral fan, this fact could already become an additional reason for sympathy towards the “Elephants”. But there is no need to attribute any special love for football corruption to Africans - the previous time the hosts (Egyptians) won the African Cup of Nations only in 2006.
Beautiful revenge
A pair of future finalists - Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria - by the will of a blind lot that did not know the future, ended up in the same group of this African Cup of Nations drawing. The leader of the Nigerians, Trost-Ekong, scored the only goal against the opponents in the group stage match - this was enough for victory, and the “green-whites”, having defeated the third main favorite of the entire tournament, once again confirmed that they also have ambitions.
In the final there is a familiar sign and a familiar scenario: Trost-Ekong scores again and puts Nigeria ahead, plunging the stands into despair. The fans push their fans forward - and in the second half the hosts equalize the score. As time draws to a close, fans are slowly getting ready for extra time and their biggest fear is missing out right now. But Ivory Coast finds the strength to put the squeeze on the enemy without extra time. Isn't it beautiful?
Phoenix rising from the ashes
Even before the start of the tournament, Côte d'Ivoire was considered the third most likely winner - that is, a huge sensation, it seems, did not happen. But let’s look at it from a different angle: a number of solid (on paper) teams did not even make it past the group stage, and this despite the fact that third place (for four of the six “C” students) gave them a ticket to the playoffs. The ranks of the favorites will thin out even more in the knockout matches. However, the Ivorians were extremely close to not even making it to the 1/8 finals!
We defeated Guinea-Bissau – it seemed natural. Losing minimally to Nigeria is not a disgrace; the opponent is not a weak one. But no one understood what it was in the last round, when the “Elephants” scored 0:4 against another Guinea, Equatorial Guinea. Three points and a noticeable negative goal difference – how do you like the performance in the group from one of the African Cup of Nations favorites? This is what makes the final triumph of Ivory Coast a sensation.
We hope that in Côte d'Ivoire they have not forgotten the feat of Mozambique, which managed to make a comeback in the last round and draw with Ghana, which was leading 2:0 - otherwise this whole fairy tale would not have happened. Thanks to the disgraceful performance of the other favorites, the Ghanaians (third place with two points), the Ivorians jumped on the last carriage of the outgoing playoff train.
When horses are changed at the crossing
Head coach Jean-Louis Gasset selected the squad and took the team to the African Cup of Nations. After a crushing defeat from Equatorial Guinea, the federation did not wait for the results of matches in other groups and dismissed the coach. However, Ivory Coast miraculously crawled into the 1/8.
In a situation where the team immediately needed at least some kind of coach, the federation relied on Emers Fae. The former player of this team had absolutely no coaching experience before. Was it worth expecting that the half-dead team, which had barely made it out of the group and survived the leapfrog of its mentors, would be much delayed in the draw? And they won the cup!
A symbol of not giving up
Until 2021, according to his passport, Sebastien Romain Teddy Haller was French, not Ivorian. The African team managed to persuade the then Ajax player to play for them, promising to make it to the Qatar World Cup with such a strengthened squad. Failed.
Haller then moved to Borussia for a promotion, and it’s not a fact that he didn’t regret his choice - what if, with such a status, France would have called. But soon he had no time for regrets - the football player was diagnosed with cancer, and his career basically faded into the background. He was lucky: the disease was detected early, the doctors completed their task, and the player returned to the field.
But Sebastien Haller still might not have gone to the African Cup of Nations, because before the tournament he was injured and did not have time to recover. Gasse decided to include the guy in the application, hoping that he would “come to life” before the elimination fights. The coach himself ultimately did not make it to the playoffs, but his ward lived up to expectations and showed his best side - he scored the only goal against the Congolese in the semi-finals and scored the decisive one at the end of the final match. What if he hadn’t arrived...?
So the victory of Ivory Coast is a drama worthy of being staged in the theater.
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