Jubilant Ivory Coast Fans Take To Streets To Celebrate Africa Cup Of Nations Win – News18

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast: Thousands of jubilant Ivory Coast supporters have been taking to Abidjan’s metropolis streets on Monday to rejoice the nation’s Africa Cup of Nations victory.

Blowing whistles and vuvuzelas, singing and chanting, the supporters poured out of commuter buses close to the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium, the place many then ran to reach in time for the end result of the workforce’s victory parade by town.

The Elephants defeated Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s ultimate to say the nation’s third title after wins in 1992 and 2015. It set off unbridled celebrations that lasted by the evening in Abidjan and past.

“It’s God,” Ivorian employee Issouf Traoré informed The Associated Press on Monday, satisfied, like many, that there have been divine causes behind the workforce’s unlikely success after close to elimination and the firing of the workforce coach after the group stage.

Interim coach Emerse Faé turned the primary within the historical past of the match to win it with out having been in cost firstly.

“It’s a fantastic story,” supporter Sanogo Karamoko informed the AP. He referred to the lengthy wait since a bunch nation gained the biennial match. Egypt was the final in 2006.

Fans danced and cheered to loud music within the stadium as they awaited their heroes, whereas some merely rested whereas they might because the toll of their evident all-evening celebrations took maintain.

Supporters additionally made their manner on to the workforce’s lodge within the district of Cocody, from the place the procession started its sluggish crawl by a sea of followers on the highway.

Some waved Morocco flags to thank the Atlas Lions for protecting the Ivory Coast within the competitors. The host nation was going through an early exit till Morocco defeated Zambia in one other group to permit Ivory Coast squeeze into the knockout stage as top-of-the-line 4 third-place finishers within the six teams.

“Without this win from Morocco we wouldn’t have qualified,” mentioned Aminata Sahoné, who wore a Morocco cap and had a Morocco bag on her again. “It would have been finished for us, but they came, the scored, they won. It gave us a chance and some strength, some belief in fighting to make something possible. Well, it paid off.”

Ivory Coast’s development to the ultimate remained fraught with setbacks because it overcame the firing of its coach and claimed very late come-from-behind wins over defending champion Senegal and Mali within the knockout stage.

Sébastien Haller fired the workforce into the ultimate with the profitable purpose towards Congo within the semifinals, then scored the winner towards Nigeria within the ultimate.

Emotion bought to the Borussia Dortmund ahead after the sport. It’s simply over a yr since Haller returned after most cancers therapy.

“Every game was difficult,” Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana mentioned after the ultimate. “We hope everybody is going to enjoy this moment because it’s not every day.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)