Enlarge image
Sébastien Haller: winning goal scorer in the final
Photo:
Daniel Beloumou Olomo / AFP
Thanks to winning goal scorer Sébastien Haller, hosts Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time. In the final in Abidjan, the team led by the professional footballer from Borussia Dortmund won 2:1 (0:1) against Nigeria.
Franck Kessié (62nd minute) and Haller (81st) scored for Ivory Coast, William Troost-Ekong (38th) had initially put Nigeria in the lead. Ivory Coast also won the continental championship in 1992 and 2015. In the game for third place, South Africa won 6-5 on penalties against the Democratic Republic of Congo after not scoring a goal in 120 minutes.
After Haller initially missed making it 2-1 for the Ivorians with a spectacular overhead kick attempt (75'), he did better a little later: the 29-year-old artistically pushed a cross from Simon Adingra to the near post with the toe of his right foot corner. Haller was the winning goal scorer in the Ivorian team's 1-0 win against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals.
Coach was fired after the preliminary round
The Ivory Coast has had a remarkable tournament run: after a weak preliminary round with a 0:4 against the world number 88. In Equatorial Guinea, the association fired the coach, assistant coach Emerse Faé took over - and can now celebrate the title.
Nigeria, which won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980, 1994 and 2013, initially presented itself in the final defensively stable and effective at the front. The West Africans only had two attempts on goal in the first half, once with success: goalkeeper Yahia Fofana was powerless to deal with Troost-Ekong's powerful header.
bka/dpa