Young player to watch
Brilliant youngsters are one of the key talking points of any tournament, and the one to watch this time around has got to be Brighton’s Simon Adingra, Ivory Coast’s winger.
It is no surprise that he plays for the Seagulls, famous producers of talented young players.
Tricks, composure, and the ability to finish make him one of the finest, and most exciting youngsters on the planet right now, so keep an eye out for him.
What a story!
Sebastian Haller might complete one of the best stories in football tonight.
The striker looked to be set for stardom when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Ajax in the summer of 2022.
All looked set for him to kick on in his career, before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer as a 28-year-old.
Not only has he overcome that setback in spectacular fashion, scoring on his return to football on World Cancer Day, but he now has the chance to become an African champion too.
Leading the line for Ivory Coast comes with bags of pressure, following in the footsteps of the likes of Didier Drogba, and it will be no easy feat beating Nigeria.
Even though they lost to the Super Eagles early on in the tournament, they will still be well up for this, and no doubt Seb Haller will be vital if they can get their hands on the trophy tonight.
You would just love to see him do it, wouldn’t you?
Ivory Coast starting XI
Fofana, Aurier (C), Kossounou, Ndicka, Konan, Kessie, Seri, Fofana, Gradel, Haller, Adingra
Nigeria’s starting XI
Nwabali, Ekong (C), Ajayi, Bassey, Zaidu, Onyeka, Iwobi, Aina, Lookman, Chukwueze, Osimhen.
The fans are ready
Are you ready for the final at home?
They are certainly ready out in Cote d’Ivoire!
Welcome back, AFCON fans!
Good evening and welcome to the 34th rendition of the Africa Cup of Nations Grand Final!
This is the second meeting between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire in this tournament, following an early 1-0 victory for the Super Eagles when they met in the group stage of the competition.
History does NOT bode well for the great nation that has produced talents such as Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, as they have only beaten them once at AFCON since a 1-0 win in the 2008 group stages.
This year could be different though, and in a final anything can happen, ultimately it comes down to who has the man for the big occasion!
Let’s get ready to rumble!
