Sports
Hosts Côte d’Ivoire Elephants win AFCON, beat Super Eagles 2-1
![](https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Nigeria-vs-Ivory-Coast.jpg)
Sebastien Haller scored a dramatic late winner as hosts Ivory Coast fought back to beat Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final and complete the most remarkable of major tournament turnarounds by claiming their third continental title.
Nigeria looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over the Ivorians here at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium during the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong – who had netted a penalty to decide that first meeting – rose to head in the opener late in the first half.
However, Franck Kessie equalised just after the hour mark and Haller turned in Simon Adingra’s cross in the 81st minute to spark wild celebrations among the sea of orange in the Abidjan stands.
Ivory Coast’s success sees them add this year’s title to those claimed in 1992 and 2015, while this win also allows them to join Nigeria on three Cup of Nations triumphs overall.
Only Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana have won the title more often, with the Super Eagles squandering the opportunity to match their Ghanaian rivals on four victories.
Spearheaded by reigning African player of the year Osimhen, the Nigerians had looked the most formidable team in the competition over the last month.
But Ivory Coast’s sense of destiny was simply too overpowering, as they became the first host country to win the AFCON since 2006.
Didier Drogba captained the Elephants team that lost on penalties to Egypt in Cairo in that final 18 years ago, while this time he was among the spectators to witness a stunning victory for his country.
– Back from the brink –
It is an incredible achievement for a side that was on the brink of elimination in the group stage after losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea on January 22.
That was their heaviest ever home defeat and the Ivorians then parted company with coach Jean-Louis Gasset, replacing him with Emerse Fae, a teammate of Drogba’s in 2006.
They then began a remarkable turnaround which saw them oust holders Senegal on penalties, beat Mali with a last-gasp goal in extra time, and edge out DR Congo with a Haller goal in the last four.
Their supporters packed out the stadium to its 60,000 capacity, with many fans having to watch the game from vantage points on stairways.Related News
Anyone wanting to dampen the excitement levels might have pointed out that Cup of Nations finals tend to be low-scoring affairs.
There were just 10 goals scored in the last 11 finals, five of which were decided on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate.
Indeed, Ivory Coast’s four previous final appearances had all ended goalless before going to penalties, two of which they had won.
This looked set to be another nervy, low-scoring affair with chances few and far between early on.
However, the home side then had a great chance on 34 minutes when Kessie found Adingra on the left and his shot was turned away by Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
That proved crucial as Nigeria went ahead just four minutes later when Ademola Lookman’s corner from the left was touched on and Troost-Ekong headed in from the edge of the six-yard area.
Earlier in the tournament the Ivorians would have crumbled in such a scenario, but they deserve great credit for regrouping at the interval and throwing everything at Nigeria.
Max-Alain Gradel’s netbound shot was blocked in front of the line by Calvin Bassey five minutes after the restart before Nwabali turned an Odilon Kossounou long-range piledriver around the post on 62 minutes.
They drew level from the corner that followed that, as Kessie -– whose late penalty had rescued the hosts against Senegal in the last 16 –- appeared at the back post to head into the net.
It seemed inevitable that a second Ivory Coast goal would follow and it duly did with nine minutes of the 90 to play as Haller got his studs to Adingra’s cross and diverted the ball into the far corner.
Behind for the first time since their opening match, Nigeria could not react, and Ivory Coast held on for victory.
AFP
Sports
SAD! Rebecca Cheptegi becomes 3rd victim k!lled by partner in Kenya
![](https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Rebecca-Cheptegei.jpg)
Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend at her home in Kenya, has been confirmed as the third female athlete killed by her partner since 2021.
According to reports from CNN and the BBC, Cheptegei’s death follows a troubling trend in Kenya, where several female athletes have been killed by their partners in recent years.
All three of these cases occurred in Iten, Kenya’s renowned hub for elite runners.
Cheptegei, who trained in Kenya, launched her international career at 19, competing for Uganda in the junior category of the 2010 World Cross Country Championships. She later transitioned to road racing, making her marathon debut in 2021.
The following year, Cheptegei achieved a personal best time of 2:22:47, making her the second-fastest Ugandan female runner in history.
In the past three years, two other female Olympians have been killed in Iten, Kenya.
In 2021, Kenyan authorities identified the husband of renowned long-distance athlete Agnes Tirop as a prime suspect in her brutal murder. Tirop, who was 25, was fatally stabbed.
According to CNN, the suspect contacted Tirop’s parents, suggesting his involvement and leading authorities to conclude that he was aware of the circumstances surrounding her death.
The police determined that Tirop’s fatal neck wounds were inflicted by a knife.
Tirop had secured back-to-back bronze medals in the 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships and placed fourth in the 5,000m event at the Tokyo Olympics.
She also broke the women’s 10km world record by 28 seconds at Germany’s Adizero Road to Records event, a historic achievement that came just a month before her death.
Approximately six months later, another tragic incident occurred in the same town when marathon runner Damaris Mutua was strangled by her boyfriend, who then attempted to conceal his crime by placing a pillow over her face.
He subsequently fled the country and remains at large, according to authorities, as reported by the BBC.
Mutua earned a bronze medal representing Kenya in the 1,000m event at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010.
Mutua’s standout season was in 2018, when she achieved personal bests in the 20km (1:08:28), the fastest time that year, with a victory in Marrakesh, and the half-marathon (1:11:51), claiming second place in Mozambique.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ latest data released in January 2023, 34% of women in Kenya have faced physical violence at some point in their lives since the age of 15.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Friday that the city will pay tribute to the late Cheptegei by dedicating a sports facility in her name.
Sports
Why I snubbed Eagles job — Cannavaro
![](https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Fabio_Cannavaro_2011.jpg)
By Mario Deepromoter
Former Italy captain and 2006 World Cup winner, Fabio Cannavaro, says he turned down the Super Eagles job to wait for offers in the Italian Serie A and other European clubs.
Cannavaro was one of the candidates interviewed for the role during the Nigeria Football Federation’s race against time to fill the vacant role ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.
“I had offers from Nigeria [national team] and Iranian clubs, but I want to wait for Serie A and European clubs until December. After that, I may start travelling again,” Cannavaro told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.
German coach Bruno Labbadia was eventually announced by the NFF as the new coach of the Super Eagles, but the 56-year-old eventually turned down the offer over stringent German tax laws.
The team are currently under the guidance of NFF Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen, who is working with coaches of two Nigeria Premier Football League sides, Daniel Ogunmodede (Remo Stars) and Fidelis Ilechukwu (Enugu Rangers), as assistants, ahead of the qualifiers.
They are also joined in Uyo by Tomaz Zorec, a fitness trainer from Slovenia, goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, and match analyst Eboboritse Uwejamomere.
After the clash against the Benin Republic at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, the team will depart for Kigali on Sunday for Tuesday’s clash with the Amavubi (Bees) of Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium.
Sports
FULL LIST: Eight Nigerians nominated for Ballon d’Or
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The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Over the years, Nigerian players have also proven to be worthy of this award after being shortlisted by the organisers.
Following Wednesday’s announcement, Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman joined the train of Nigerian players to be nominated for the prestigious award after his blistering performances for both club and country.
Here is the full list of nominees from Nigeria and the year.
1. Finidi George- 1995
2. Daniel Amokachi – 1995
3. Austin Okocha – 1995
4. Kanu Nkwankeo – 1996, 1999
5. Victor Ikpeba – 1997
6. Sunday Oliseh – 1998
7. Victor Osimhen – 2023
8. Ademola Lookman – 2024
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