It was written. The Ivory Coast could only end with supreme happiness a CAN that it had almost left through the very small door. The Elephants won the third CAN in their history this Sunday at home by overthrowing Nigeria (2-1).
Who could have believed in such a scenario, on January 22, after when Serge Aurier’s partners had been spanked by Equatorial Guinea (0-4) and pitifully hoped to be among the four best thirds? Who could have believed in such a scenario when a few hours after this slap, coach Jean-Louis Gasset resigned?
But it needed a grand finale to conclude this completely crazy CAN and the Elephants, led for the final phase by Emerse Faé after the FFF refused to release Hervé Renard, began an odyssey which ultimately led them to eternal happiness. They needed penalties to eliminate the Senegalese favorite in the round of 16, extra time to overcome Mali in the quarters, and they still had to put up a hell of a fight to overthrow Nigeria.
There were very few chances when the Super Eagles opened the scoring on a set piece, in the 38th minute, by a Troost-Ekong author of a major competition. And Ivory Coast, who had only had a few flashes of Adingra to get their teeth into, returned to the locker room in full doubt. The Elephants came back with better intentions, and it took a huge save from Bassey in front of Gradel (51st) to avoid the equalizer.
Haller delivers Ivory Coast
So to find salvation, the Ivorians had to rely on two ghosts. Simon Adingra and Sébastien Haller were injured at the start of the competition and were almost unable to participate in their team’s disastrous group stage. This Sunday, it was from them that the light came.
Untenable, the first placed a corner on the head of Franck Kessié (63rd) for the equalizer, before sending a nice cross for the second. Already the hero of the semi-final, Haller spectacularly took up his partner’s offering and delivered his own (79th). There was some Zlatan in this recovery. Above all, there was immense joy at the end.
