The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
ended with hosts Ivory Coast lifting the trophy after arguably the most
exciting edition of the tournament in living memory.
There were surprise success stories almost every step of the
way, with the Elephants serving up more plot twists than a Hollywood thriller
before securing the silverware.
Much had also been made of the impact the finals would have in
the host country after an unprecedented spend on preparations which stretched
far beyond football.
JUST NEWS SPORTS takes a look at some of the winners and losers
from 30 unforgettable days of drama at the 34th edition of the continent's
biggest event.
Sebastien Haller, who returned from testicular cancer 13 months
ago, netted the decisive goals in the semi-final and final to seal a third
continental title for the Ivorians.
It was also a major success for an interim coach who was taking
charge of his fourth game in senior management.
"It is more than a fairy tale," stand-in boss Emerse
Fae said after the comeback win over Nigeria in the final.
"When I think about all we have been through, we are
miracle survivors. We managed to come back from so many tough blows."
The Ivorians had parted company with coach
Jean-Louis Gasset after almost suffering a group-stage
exit, needed penalties to beat the defending champions Senegal in the last 16
and scored a 122nd-minute winner in the quarter-finals.
It remains to be seen if the 40-year-old will keep the job
permanently, something he had refused to discuss before the final.
"The honest truth is that I asked those in charge not to
talk to us about what is going to happen after the competition," Fae
added.
The Ivorian government spent well over $1bn (£789m) on
hosting the tournament, including the building of four new
stadiums and renovation of two others.
Airports, roads, hospitals and hotels were either constructed or
upgraded in the five host cities of Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and
Yamoussoukro, which is the capital of a nation ranked as the world's
138th-richest out of 190.
The excitement in the country was epitomised by the number of
replica orange shirts spotted on the streets of the country and attendances at
games were strong after a slow start.
With improved transport links which could boost tourism in the
future, President Alassane Ouattara joined in the post-match celebrations -
perhaps reflecting on money well spent in staging the finals.
"With the image we showed, Africa must be proud," said
Ivory Coast co-captain Serge Aurier after the final.
"We have progressed, whether it be the teams, the stadiums,
the living environment."
Thousands of fans then flooded the streets of Abidjan for a trophy parade on Monday.
The finals delivered upsets aplenty, with Equatorial Guinea thrashing the hosts and
finishing above Nigeria in Group A, while Cape Verde also topped their group
ahead of more illustrious opponents.
Namibia and Angola, who were among the four lowest-ranked teams
in the group stage, reached the knockout stages while Mauritania registered
their first win at the finals.
South Africa upset Morocco on
their way to the last four. More tellingly, the surprise results and
performances were not flukes.
"The gap between the big nations and the small ones is
shrinking," said Herita Ilunga, the former DR Congo defender who is part
of the Confederation of African Football's technical study group.
"It proves the development of African football."
The 2023 finals served up a record 119 goals at an average of
2.29 a game. Not since 2012 (2.38 goals per game) has that figure been
bettered.
Caf said more than two billion people watched the tournament
live on TV - making it by far the most-watched Nations Cup finals in history -
with 173 territories across the globe broadcasting the final.
Late goals were a particular feature, with Group B alone
providing more after the 89th minute than the entire 2021 tournament did.
The four shootout saves in the quarter-finals by
South Africa's Ronwen Williams showed that the goalkeepers were in blockbuster
mode, too.
Despite finishing on the losing side, the Nigeria captain was
named as player of the tournament following his three goals at the finals.
The 30-year-old scored high-pressure penalties against Ivory
Coast in the group stage and South Africa in the semi-final before opening the
scoring against the Elephants in the final.
He marshalled a Super Eagles defence which kept four clean
sheets, and the centre-back became the first defender to score three goals at a
single Nations Cup since Libya's Ali Al-Beshari in 1982.
You will rarely see a coach praise the use of technology when it
goes against their team - but Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro did
just that when he reflected on one extraordinary semi-final
plot twist.
The Super Eagles thought they had gone 2-0 up in the 85th minute
through Victor Osimhen, but South Africa were awarded a penalty instead for a
foul in the build-up.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviews were used judiciously -
and extremely effectively - across the tournament.
The four-time champions slid out at the group stage in
calamitous style, gifting Cape Verde a 92nd-minute winner and allowing Mozambique to score
twice in second-half injury time.
Coach Chris Hughton was duly dismissed, having
struggled to ease the pressure his squad had faced to record a first triumph
for their country since 1982.
A second successive winless campaign was another meek Nations
Cup showing by the Black Stars. Their only solace came when fierce West African
rivals Nigeria lost the final.
There had been North African finalists at the previous three
tournaments, so the failure of any of their contingent to make the
quarter-finals was a big surprise.
All four representatives from the region were among the five
highest-ranked teams, but Algeria exited after a sensational defeat by
Mauritania and Tunisia lost to a Namibia side ranked
85 places below them.
In the last 16, 2022 World Cup semi-finals Morocco succumbed to
Bafana Bafana and record seven-time champions Egypt were ousted on penalties by DR
Congo.
Morocco will host the 2025 Nations Cup, where they will be
targeting a first title since their sole triumph in 1976.
Having been a runner-up in 2017 and at the 2021 edition, the
Egypt captain spoke of his desire to end his country's 14-year wait for the
title.
The Liverpool forward rescued a late draw for the Pharaohs in
their opener against Mozambique, but was forced off before half-time in their
second group game against Ghana.
A brief soap opera played out over the status of
his hamstring injury, with a crucial update from his agent and a murmuring of
discontent between Egypt and the Reds before the North Africans exited on
penalties.
Salah is yet to return to action for the Premier League title
challengers - and he will be 33 by the time of the next Nations Cup finals.
If Hughton wanted consolation after becoming the first
managerial casualty of the Nations Cup, seven of his 23 fellow managers who
started the finals were gone before the tournament ended.
Algeria's Djamel Belmadi, Tunisia's Jalel Kadri and Egypt's Rui
Vitoria also paid the price for poor tournaments.
Tom Saintfiet resigned as The Gambia boss after their exit,
while Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso decided not to renew the contracts of
Baciro Cande and Hubert Velud respectively.
Elsewhere, Adel Amrouche was suspended by Tanzania in
the wake of receiving an eight-match Caf ban.
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