CAN 2024: stories of finals before Ivory Coast-Nigeria
This Sunday, February 11, Nigeria will play its eighth CAN final against five for Ivory Coast, which hopes to win a third star. Like his opponent of the day. In the meantime, a look back at some records, figures and facts that have marked the history of the CAN finals
The Alassane Ouattara stadium in Ébimpé will host the CAN final, this Sunday February 11 at 8 p.m. UT, between Ivory Coast and Nigeria. © Pierre René-Worms
By: Ndiasse Sambe Follow
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From our special correspondent in Abidjan,
The Egyptian ogre, the unfortunate Ghana
Egypt holds the record for finals played at the
African Cup of Nations
(10) and trophies won (7). The Cameroonians follow in terms of CAN won with five trophies for seven finals played. Ghana is not far from Egypt in appearances in the final (9) but have only won four Cups. Ghana is one of the countries that have lost more finals than they have won.
Nigeria
, losing four finals out of seven, is also on the list. The last country is Senegal: three finals played, two lost.
The Cup at home, a third party winner
In 33 editions of the CAN, only 11 countries have managed to win the Cup at home. Nine teams achieved it before 1998 and South Africa's coronation at home (1996). Since then, only Tunisia (2004) and Egypt (2006) have kept the Cup at home. This will be the objective of
Ivory Coast
on Sunday against Nigeria. The latter is one of the three countries to have organized the CAN and to have lost the final. In 2000, in fact, the Super Eagles, co-organizers of the edition with Ghana, lost in the final against Cameroon at the National Stadium in Lagos. Tunisia, in 1965 against Ghana, and Libya, against Nigeria in 1982, also experienced the same fate of the organizing country defeated in the final.
Finals without spectacle
CAN finals are rarely moments of offensive orgy. Very few goals are scored. The records for goals in a final are the matches Ethiopia-Egypt (4-2) in 1962, after extra time, and Congo-Mali (3-2) in 1972, in regulation time. The last victory with more than a goal difference was that of Egypt against South Africa, 2-0 (1998). Since the 1982 CAN, almost one final in two has ended on penalties (9 against 11). Ivory Coast-Ghana of the CAN 1992, holds the record for shots on goal in a CAN final (11-10).
Will Ivory Coast-Nigeria on Sunday
shake up habits?
Nigeria doesn't hang around, Ivory Coast likes penalties
Nigeria, 7 finals (1980, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1994, 2000, 2013), will have more experience on Sunday than Ivory Coast, four times finalist (1992, 2006, 2012, 2015). The Elephants have the particularity of seeing all their finals played out on penalties, with 50% victories in 1992 and 2015. Always against the same opponent: Ghana. Moreover, on January 22, during the third day of group matches, some Ivorian supporters, convinced that Côte d'Ivoire would qualify, prayed for Ghana to qualify, as a matter of "
remaining faithful to tradition".
".
Opposite, Nigeria won all of its finals in regulation time; 1980 against Algeria (3-0), 1994, against Zambia (2-1), and 2013, against Burkina Faso (1-0).
Nigeria and Ivory Coast who meet in the final. All because of Ghana. pic.twitter.com/b4JVkaFayQ
— YoannEss🇬🇦 (@pither_yoann) February 7, 2024
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