AFCON: Sebastian Haller revels in Ivory Coast triumph after match-winning goal - 'We dreamed of this moment'

An emotional Sebastian Haller said his Ivory Coast team “dreamed of winning the Africa Cup of Nations so many times” following their 2-1 victory over Nigeria in Sunday’s final.

Haller, who returned to football 13 months ago after overcoming testicular cancer, scored the winning goal nine minutes from time to propel Ivory Coast to AFCON glory.

William Troost-Ekong gave Nigeria the perfect start with a first-half header, which was cancelled out by Franck Kessie's headed effort on the hour mark.

Haller volleyed home the winner in the 81st minute to complete Ivory Coast’s comeback and wrap up an emotional campaign.

“We dreamed of this moment so many times,” Haller said after the match. “We hoped to get to this point and once again the match wasn't an easy one.

“The joyous scenes we see now, what's happening in the country, they deserve it too. I really hope it does a lot of people good."

Ivory Coast somehow navigated their way to a remarkable third AFCON title against all odds following a turbulent tournament both on and off the pitch.

Head coach Jean-Louis Gasset was fired after a 4-0 defeat in the final group stage match, as Equatorial Guinea inflicted the heaviest defeat on Ivory Coast in their history.

The Elephants won their opening game against Guinea-Bissau before losing to eventual final opponents Nigeria, as the defeat to Equatorial Guinea left their fate hanging in the balance.

Gasset was dismissed from his role before it was confirmed that Ivory Coast had qualified for the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.

Emerse Fae took over as interim boss and Ivory Coast scored late goals in dramatic victories over reigning champions Senegal as well as Mali in the knockout rounds.

Haller netted a crucial goal in a 1-0 triumph over DR Congo in the semi-final before helping the host country claim the title for the first time since 2015 at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan in a thrilling final on Sunday.

“It’s more than a fairytale, frankly, I still can’t believe we’ve done it,” interim boss Fae explained.

“When I think back to everything we went through during the competition, the difficult moments, the times when we were behind and came back at the last minute, it’s extraordinary.

“We’re miraculous, we went and got the cup because we didn’t give up because we fought right to the end and we showed that we know how to bounce back despite the hard times.”

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