Ivory Coast was crowned in the final of its African Cup of Nations on February 11 in Ébimpé. A coronation unanimously welcomed by the former internationals of the Ivorian selection and by the supporters of the Elephants.
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The Elephants won their third African champion title in overthrowing Nigeria in the final (2-1), Sunday February 11 at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Ébimpé. Supporters and former Ivorian players obviously followed one another to celebrate their team’s title at the end of this CAN 2024.
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Gervinho, former executive of the Ivorian selection and present on the pitch during the previous coronation in 2015, delivered his first impressions at the microphone of RFI after the success of the Ivorians: “ I know what that means. We have come a long way, we must congratulate our young brothers because it is an achievement. They regained confidence after the first round. We didn’t believe it but they showed us otherwise and we congratulate them. As Ivorians, we are happy and also as athletes to add a star to our jersey. We did everything to ensure that this CAN went well, it went well. And it also ended well with our victory “.
The psychological aspect played a leading role in this final victory for Ivory Coast, as did the leadership of Emerse Faé, who became head of the selection during the competition, according to the former international: “ I think mentally they learned a lot. Mentality played a big role in qualifying. Each time they were dominated, they kept their calm until equalizing and coming back to the score. Faé worked a lot on the mental side. After the 0-4 against Equatorial Guinea, we had to work on that and give them confidence again “.
Salomon Kalou, former Elephant, praised the decisive role of Sébastien Haller: “ Since the first round, we have seen a team that is gaining strength. The symbol of this team is Sébastien Haller who did not play the first three matches and who returned to the team by scoring two important goals. He was present where we expected him, that’s what made the difference “. The Ivorian even sees a reason for hope for the next deadlines: “ I’m happy to see a new generation step up and win a CAN for our country. That makes us three stars now, we’re entering the big leagues. […] The bar is very high and we hope it remains high for World Cup qualification “.
Read alsoCAN 2024: Ivory Coast overthrows Nigeria and wins its third star
Scenes of jubilation in Abidjan
In a fanzone in Abidjan, Ivorian supporters let their joy explode at the final whistle, as RFI’s special correspondent explains: “ We’re about 50 degrees. The atmosphere is explosive. It has just calmed down a little with the ceremony, the presidential couple who came to the lawn to present the Cup. But otherwise it was explosive with a packed fanzone. And as usual with the Elephants, we had this match with twists and turns “.
If the supporters almost lost hope in the first half, discouragement is not usual for the Ivorians. “ They were able to come back and each of the goals scored was the occasion for an explosion of joy. Then, everyone started shouting the famous slogan: “We’re worth nothing, but we’re champions, we’re worth nothing, but we won.” Everyone is very proud to have won this third star. There was also a lot of thanking God, whichever one the fans believed in. They said that if this Ivorian team, despite this chaotic journey, was able to be crowned, it was because somewhere it was blessed. “. Scenes of jubilation that promise to continue until the end of the night and much more.