The program of the day

Rest day at the African Cup of Nations. The two finalists will undoubtedly take a breather before preparing for Sunday's meeting.

Read also Find the table for the final phase

What will the finale look like?

After a disastrous start, Ivory Coast, the host country, managed to reach the final of its CAN. The atmosphere should be ecstatic at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic stadium in Ébimpé on February 11 for this dream poster against the Super Eagles. Nigeria, although it has had a calmer journey, does not really have a reference match before approaching this final.

In the spotlightNigeria - Ivory Coast: performances and journey of the CAN finalists

When is the final?

For the stunned, here is everything you need to know about the CAN 2024 final.

Also read: Where and when will the African Cup final take place?

What happened yesterday

Nigeria's emotional lift:

 until then, the Super Eagles were progressing quietly in the tournament, without much fanfare, but without ever getting too scared or going into overtime. But in the semi-final, South Africa - and VAR - gave them a hard time and a cold sweat. Going from 2-0 to 1-1 in the blink of an eye at the end of regulation time, Nigeria escaped on penalties.

This time, Côte d'Ivoire is in control:

far from the reversals of situation to which it had accustomed us, Côte d'Ivoire has mastered its subject against the DR Congo, determined but overwhelmed. Thanks to an unorthodox volley from their striker Sébastien Haller, the Elephants won and now hope to win the third star in their history in front of their home crowd.

In short

As we find ourselves:

this is not the first time that the Elephants and the Super Eagles will cross swords in this competition. The two teams met on January 18 in the group stage, and it was the Super Eagles who won thanks to a goal from William Troost-Ekong. A match which marked the start of the Ivory Coast crisis, before a miraculous comeback.

A nice revenge:

 twice close to dismissal last year due to poor results, Nigeria coach José Peseiro finds himself in the CAN final! He owes his presence in Ivory Coast only to the lack of resources of the Nigerian federation, financially incapable of replacing him. We imagine that the federation should review its copy, especially if its team is crowned on Sunday in Abidjan. 

A beautiful story:

it’s that of Sebastien Haller. A year ago, the Ivorian striker returned to the pitch after overcoming testicular cancer. On February 7, he was the one who liberated an entire country. His recovery sends the Elephants to conquer a third title, after 1992 and 2015.                    

The CAN news

17:14

CAN 2024 © France24

Catch the CAN news every match night live at 11:10 p.m. on France 24

Today's statement

Sébastien Haller, happy Ivorian scorer.

“We are proud to have made our people happy, to have produced a good copy, even if we could have taken shelter before. We are going to enjoy it before the final

,” confides the Elephants striker at the microphone of BeIN Sports.

Picture of the day

A powerful gesture. Hand on mouth and finger on temple, the Congolese players intended to denounce the violence tearing apart eastern DR Congo before their meeting against Ivory Coast.

DR Congo players before the semi-final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) against Ivory Coast, February 7, 2023. © Franck Fife, AFP

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