By Raymond Ebireri

After a series of thrilling and fascinating games so far in both the group stage and knockouts, only two teams stand apart. Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire will battle for the title at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on 11th February 2024. The match is scheduled to kick off at 9 pm promptly.

The West African neighbours face off for the second time in this year’s AFCON, having previously met in the group stage where the Super Eagles of Nigeria edged out a 1-0 victory courtesy of a penalty kick by Captain William Troost Ekong.

Nigeria finished runners-up in Group A with 7 points and went on to eliminate Cameroon in the last 16 by 2 goals to nil (both goals scored by Ademola Lookman). Another Lookman goal helped the Super Eagles knock out Angola in the quarter-final 1-0 before needing a penalty shootout win (4-2) to advance to the final at the expense of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa after it ended 1-1 after extra time.

Meanwhile, for the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, it has been a fairytale ride in this tournament as hosts. First, they managed to qualify as one of the best third-placed ranked teams after a humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea on the final matchday of the group stages. The head coach of Cote d’Ivoire, Jean Louisse Gasset, was subsequently sacked and replaced with interim coach Emerse Fae. The appointment of Fae, coupled with the rejuvenation of striker Sebastian Haller, has injected a breath of fresh air into the squad as they have navigated their way into the final, eliminating teams like Senegal, Mali, and DR Congo en route to the final. The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire will be seeking revenge and also eyeing their first AFCON title since 2015, while the Super Eagles of Nigeria will hope to continue their momentum in this tournament and aim for their fourth AFCON crown.

With the spotlight on the final, fans will be eager and anticipating an epic and exhilarating finale to the AFCON showdown as the two teams battle for continental supremacy.

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