Of Elephants and Eagles

At the blast of the final whistle in Abidjan, the Ivorians had done what was deemed practically impossible after consecutive losses to Nigeria in the group stage and an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea that saw them sack their coach Jean-Louis Gasset and appoint Emerson Fae, who may have had one of the best stories of any international tournament history.

The Ivory Coast team has had to scrape through from the group to the knockouts, qualifying as the best losers in the tournament and needing to come from behind against Senegal and Mali, respectively, before beating Congo and Nigeria.

From Sebastian Haller to Emerson Fae, both men have had to fight until the last for the trophy, and the final was the biggest test as they faced Nigeria, who had not lost throughout the tournament. The equalizer by Kessie and the eventual winner by Haller showed a sign of inevitability that brought a fitting end to a fantastic competition

The silver medalists, Nigeria, have had to do it the hard way themselves, as many did not expect them to reach so far in the competition, but the team led by William Troost Ekong, the African best player, Victor Osihmen, alongside experienced teammates like Iwobi, Omeruo, and Ola Aina and new faces Onyeka, Lookman, and Calvin Bassey gave everything to reach the final with calculated defensive displays and superb goalkeeping by one of the standout performers, Stanley Nwabali.

The AFCON tournament itself has lived up to its billing with drama, banter among nations, comebacks, shocking score lines, and the agony of defeat at every turn. Credit must be given to the organizers, CAF, and the president, Patrice Motsepe, who has raised the bar so high that the tournament has had two billion people watching the games. This can only be a sign of good things to come in the future, with the next edition slated for Morocco next year that promises to bring even better excitement, drama, and action.

Each of the participating nations and their sponsors have also added to the fun with the banter, online battles, and jokes after a win or a loss, with South Africans, Ghanaians, and Nigerians, amongst other nations, bringing fun and excitement despite the outcome of the games and even after the finals across social media

Williams, Troost Ekong and Nsue receiving awards for their part in AFCON 2024

For the winners, the Elephants can bask in the victory of a third title and focus on retaining their core and building with Fae for the future with the young players, experienced superstars, and a talent pool at home and abroad. The Super Eagles also have a lot of promise and talent, with a pool of homegrown players and those of Nigerian descent doing well abroad who could become a solid unit and go one better in the next tournament.

Williams, Troost Ekong and Nsue receiving awards for their part in AFCON 2024

Ivory Coast winning their third title is one of the amazing stories from international competitions that may never be seen again, and what a story the elephants have written.