Today's Edition
Abidjan (Agencies)
No single player symbolises Ivory Coast's remarkable turnaround to reach this weekend's Africa Cup of Nations final quite like striker Sebastien Haller. The 29-year-old was the host country's match-winner in the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo in his first start of the tournament after injury.
That came after a year marked by a return from cancer and then an agonising climax to the German Bundesliga title race with Borussia Dortmund. Like Didier Drogba once upon a time, Haller is the poster boy of the Elephants team at this, their home Cup of Nations.
He appears on billboards across Abidjan, advertising anything from mineral water to deodorant and a major mobile phone operator. Yet it looked like he might not play any part in the competition as an ankle injury picked up playing for Dortmund in December prevented him from featuring in the group stage.
"It's bizarre. I wasn't expecting that," he admitted ahead of the tournament when asked about his popularity. "I need to use this notoriety to serve as an example to others." And he did in the final.
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae toasted his team of "miracle survivors" after the host country also made another comeback of its own in the final, falling behind at half time to Nigeria before winning 2-1 at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium. It was a test for Fae, too, who took over when the team was at the exit door.
"It is more than a fairytale. I am struggling to take it all in," Fae said after Ivory Coast recovered to win thanks to goals by Franck Kessie and Haller.
"When I think about all we have been through, we are miracle survivors. "We never gave up and we managed to come back from so many tough blows."
Sunday's victory before an official attendance of over 57,000 in Abidjan allowed the Elephants to win their third continental title. They are the first host country to win the Cup of Nations since Egypt in 2006, and yet they very nearly went out in the group stage.
The Ivorians lost 1-0 to Nigeria in their second match before losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea, their heaviest-ever home defeat. That made them the first AFCON hosts in 40 years to lose two group games and cost coach Jean-Louis Gasset his job. However, they squeezed into the last 16 as the last of the four best third-placed teams, with former player Fae taking over on an interim basis.
Ivory Coast beat holders Senegal on penalties in the last 16 after equalising late in normal time. They beat Mali 2-1 in the quarter-finals with a winner in extra time, having been reduced to 10 men in the first half and trailing into the 90th minute. That was followed by a 1-0 victory against Congo before another comeback win in the final.
"All our games were difficult. We kept having to come from behind and we really had to draw on all our physical and mental reserves," observed Fae, who turned 40 on the day he became coach.
"I can't properly express my joy. It is massive. I dreamed of winning the AFCON as a player and didn't manage it," added Fae, who played in the side beaten by Egypt in the 2006 final. "Now I have had the opportunity as a coach, albeit in strange circumstances."
Haller's own tournament has been interesting. The Borussia Dortmund striker scored the winner in the semi-final and the final. He was almost substituted moments before turning in Simon Adingra's cross for the clinching goal in the final.
"We kept believing until the end. My teammates pushed me to stay on the pitch for as long as possible and thanks to them I scored. It was one of my main goals to give everything I could at the AFCON," he said.
"I was lucky to be here. Now we can say it, they were telling me six to eight weeks with my injury, so based on that, today could have been my first match. My ankle still isn't fully healed, but it was OK for today."
