IVORY COAST celebrated in style after being crowned champions of Africa on Sunday.
The Elephants came from behind to defeat Nigeria 2-1 on home soil in a thrilling final.
William Troost-Ekong opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 38th minute before Franck Kessie equalised in the second half.
And with less than 10 minutes to play Sebastien Haller popped up to net the winner, sparking incredible celebrations in the Ivory Coast dugout.
At full-time the substitutes burst onto the pitch to join their team-mates while rookie manager Emerse Fae embraced his coaching staff.
Legendary striker Didier Drogba also got involved after jumping for joy on the sidelines.
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The former Chelsea star was spotted dancing with the team after the final whistle before celebrating with fans.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast stars Oumar Diakite and Karim Konate did Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘siu’ celebration on the pitch.
After lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, the players returned to the dressing room where the celebrations continued.
While some posed for pictures with their winners medals, others danced with the national flag.
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They also passed the trophy around while blasting music from a speaker.
The Ivory Coast stars then took the celebrations onto the team bus.
Fans swarmed the vehicle to celebrate with the players while ex-Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe held the trophy out of the window.
As the Elephants arrived back at their team hotel, a large crowd of fans greeted them with a hero’s welcome.
Fireworks were set off in the area while the players approached the front of the hotel.
They then enjoyed a late night party inside to end the incredible evening.
Ivory Coast enjoyed a chaotic route to the AFCON final.
They were left on the brink of elimination following a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Equatorial Guinea in the final game of their group stage.
They subsequently sacked manager Jean-Louis Gasset and replaced him with his assistant, Emerse Fae, as interim head coach.
The Elephants were immediately able to bounce back, sealing wins over Senegal, Mali and DR Congo before defeating Nigeria in the final.
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It was also a special tournament for Haller, who spent six months away from the game after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022.
The striker returned to action in January 2023 and on Sunday, just over one year later, he scored the winner in the AFCON final.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
