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Host Cote d’Ivoire overcame a goal deficit to beat its Nigerian counterpart 2-1 in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on Sunday.
William Troost-Ekong put the Nigerian team in front with a header in the 38th minute, and Cote d’Ivoire responded with two goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Hilaire in the 62nd and 81st minutes.
Cote d’Ivoire won the continental title for the third time in its history, after 1992 and 2015.
It can be said that Cote d’Ivoire has finally returned “from the dead” after winning the African Cup, given what it suffered before reaching the final.
Cote d’Ivoire started the finals among the candidates, but it received one blow after another.
After defeating Guinea Bissau in the first round of the group stage (2-0), Cote d’Ivoire suffered a loss to Nigeria in particular, 1-0, in the second round, before suffering a humiliating defeat against Equatorial Guinea 0-4, which made the “Elephants” theoretically exit the group stage. With two losses.
Cote d’Ivoire’s slim hopes of qualifying were limited to the four best third-placed teams.
Mozambique came back from afar and tied with Ghana 2-2, then Morocco presented a gift to Cote d’Ivoire by defeating Zambia, so the “Elephants” qualified for the quarter-finals with a “free” service from the “Atlas Lions.”
Following the dismissal of French coach Jean-Louis Gasset and the appointment of his assistant, Emerys Faillet, the Ivorian story continued with the elimination of defending champion Senegal on penalties, after a late equalizer from Saudi Al-Ahly midfielder Franck Kessier.
Another crazy episode was achieved in the quarter-finals, when the Ivorian team equalized with its Malian counterpart in the last minute despite playing at a disadvantage since the 43rd minute, and then snatched the winning goal in stoppage time of the second overtime period.
While Cote d’Ivoire’s confrontation with the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-final was less tumultuous, and was decided by Sebastien Haller, who returned to the starting lineup after recovering from injury.
The interim coach of the Cote d’Ivoire national team, Faye, said after the “Elephants” qualified for the final with a gift from Morocco: “I told the players that we died after the loss to Equatorial Guinea, and we were resurrected after Morocco’s match with Zambia.”
Marathon world record holder dies in car accident
Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, world record holder for the marathon, died in a car accident in his native Kenya, local media reported, citing police and his family.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said that the coach of the Rwandan player, Jervis Hakizimana, was in the car with Kiptum, 24, and also died in the accident.
“We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptom and his coach Jervis Hakizimana,” IAAF President Sebastian Coe said, adding that Kiptom was “an amazing athlete who left an incredible legacy.”
Media reports indicated that Kiptom was driving the car when it ran off the road at around 11 pm on Sunday in Kaptaget in the southwestern highlands of Kenya, an area where many Kenyan long-distance runners train.
The Daily Nation newspaper quoted local police chief Peter Mulling as saying that preliminary investigations indicated that Kiptom lost control of the car’s steering wheel and crashed into a tree.
A woman who was with them in the car was seriously injured and was taken to a nearby hospital.
The police chief added that the accident did not involve any other vehicles.
Kiptom set the world record in the marathon with a time of two hours and 35 seconds in the Chicago Marathon in 2023, beating the record set by Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds. He became the first person to officially run the marathon in less than two hours and one minute.
Kiptom was seeking to run the first official marathon of less than two hours in Rotterdam next April. He has also been selected to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, according to the Daily Record.
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