Afcon final frenzy

As the continent’s most prestigious football tournament the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) concludes this evening, pundits have predicted that the battle between heavyweights Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan will be too close to call.

Though Malawi’s Flames did not qualify for the Afcon finals, the local football fans have been glued to their television screens for the past four weeks to witness the 24 teams battling for glory.

Two-time winners Ivory Coast’s Elephants reached the final in dramatic fashion as they were nearly eliminated in the group stages.

After starting on a high note with a 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau, the hosts lost 1-0 to Nigeria before succumbing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea to finish third in the group.

With no hope of sailing to the knockout stage, the hosts fired their coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

They had to thank Morocco, who beat Zambia for them to scrape through to the round of 16 as the last of the four third best teams.

In round of 16, Ivory Coast seemed to have picked up pace as they eliminated defending champions Senegal 5-4 on post-match penalties after a one-all draw after extra time.

The quarter-final battle against neighbours Mali went in to extra time as the hosts eliminated their nemesis after a 2-1 triumph to book a place in the last four against Democratic Republic of Congo.

The semi-final tie was a closely contested one, but the hosts marched on with a narrow 1-0 victory.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria, who are hoping to win the competition for a fourth times, had a perfect road to the final as they are unbeaten and have only conceded two goals in six matches.

They started the tournament with a one-all draw against Equatorial Guinea before picking up full points against the hosts.

A 1-0 victory over Guinea Bissau was all they needed to sail through to round of 16.

The Eagles beat Cameroon 2-0 in the knockout stage before they eliminated Angola 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

A nervy semi-final against South Africa was decided through post-match penalties after a one-all draw and the Super Eagles once against triumphed 4-2.

As the two sides take to the pitch for the grand final, pundits have predicted a tight race.

Flames coach Patrick Mabedi, who is in Ivory Coast for the finals, said the battle will likely go to the wire.

He said: “As a coach, I would say let the best team win. But Ivory Coast have home ground advantage. I like Nigeria; the organisation and the balance of the team; they are very good in both transitions in defence and attacking.

“With Ivory Coast, their defending is a problem, but their attacking is very good. They conceded a lot of goals but it’s a team that will not stop attacking.”

Football analyst George Chiusiwa was also of the view that it will be a thriller.

He said: “It is a huge contest considering the background of the two sides. Ivory Coast, tournament favourites from the start, at this point, have already attained a feat that has surprised many if their sloppy performance in the group phase of the tourney is anything to go by. They have nothing to lose in the final as interim head coach Emerse Fae, who has already earned plaudits, will go flat out.

“The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be under pressure to get the ultimate prize as they have relatively been a better side along the journey and with huge expectations heaped on them owing to the exiting of other big guns like Morocco, Egypt, Senegal and Algeria.

“Under this scenario, a win for the Elephants is a mammoth bonus while the Super Eagles need to grab the Afcon gold doing all that was needed to win it. It is an interesting football duel, though, and anything can happen if we go by pedigree as they are both former African champions.”

On his part, another football analyst Patrick Zgambo said though a tough one to call, Nigeria should carry the day.

He said: “Pound for pound, Nigeria should still nick it. They are not the most gifted on the continent, look suspect and run out of steam and disappear at critical times in matches. But compared to the Ivoirians, they look a far better drilled side.

“As for Ivory Coast, I have no idea how they are still around. With their dramatic path, they are probably the luckiest team in the world. You might foolishly speculate God is Ivorian. But they are here, at home and one lucky side. Sometimes that’s all you need: Luck.”

The champions will cart home about K11.7 billion.