4 minutes In what has proved to be a rollercoaster of a tournament, hosts Ivory Coast will take on Nigeria in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday evening
In what has proved to be a rollercoaster of a tournament, hosts Ivory Coast will take on Nigeria in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday evening. As we look ahead to what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to an incredible tournament, we will offer our opinions on the upcoming final, giving team news, match insights and betting tips. At betting.bet you can find exclusive free bet offers and generous match odds from our partners at Ladbrokes.
Road to the final
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast won their opening Group A game 2-0 against Guinea-Bissau but successive defeats against Nigeria (1-0) and Equatorial Guinea (4-0) left them on the verge of group stage elimination. After what turned into a near-disastrous group stage, Ivory Coast scraped through to the knockout stage as the fourth best third-placed side. They were statistically the worst team in the group stage to progress in the competition with just three points and consequently made the decision to part ways with head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset. Former Reading midfielder, Emerse Fae stepped up from his role as assistant head-coach to take over for the knockout stage as caretaker boss.
Ivory Coast escaped near-elimination in the round of 16 with an 86th minute penalty required to take their match against tournament favourites, Senegal into extra-time. The game remained all-square at 1-1 after 120 minutes and Ivory Coast won 5-4 in the subsequent penalty shootout.
There was a sense of deja vu in the quarter-final as Ivory Coast made it 1-1 with a 90th minute equaliser against Mali. This time penalties were not required as the 20-year-old, Oumar Diakite scored a dramatic winner in the 122nd minute of the match.
Ivory Coast’s semi-final match against DR Congo was far more straightforward with the hosts earning a 1-0 win thanks to a first goal of the tournament for Sebastian Haller.
Nigeria
Despite both AFCON finalists progressing from Group A, neither nation actually finished as group winners. Equatorial Guinea edged out Nigeria on goal difference due in no small part to the fact that Nigeria only scored three goals in their three group stage matches. Nigeria kicked off their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea before earning back-to-back 1-0 wins over Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau.
A double for Ademola Lookman saw Nigeria ease past Cameroon in the round of 16. Following on from their 2-0 win over Cameroon, Nigeria earned a 1-0 quarter-final win over Angola with Lookman again the match winner.
Nigeria looked on course for another 1-0 win in their semi-final match against South Africa but a dramatic 90th minute penalty saw South Africa earn a 1-1 draw and take the match into extra-time and eventually a penalty shootout. Nigeria triumphed 4-2 on penalties.
The finalists’ AFCON record
As two of the continent’s traditional super-powers, Ivory Coast and Nigeria have five previous AFCON titles behind them. Nigeria’s most recent title came back in 2013 whilst they always won in 1980 and 1994. Ivory Coast’s two wins came in 1992 and 2015.
Betting tips
Only one of the past nine Africa Cup of Nations finals have produced more than a single goal within 90 minutes and these shot-shy nations are unlikely to buck that trend. Ivory Coast have scored just six goals in their six matches so far whilst Nigeria have only mustered seven in six matches despite possessing arguably the continent’s most potent forward line with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwuezi and Kelechi Iheanacho in their ranks. A 0-0 draw in the correct score market could be a sensible yet underwhelming bet at 5/1.
In 14 knockout games so far in the tournament, only three have produced over 2.5 match goals. Angola’s 3-0 round of 16 win over Namibia represents the biggest winning margin in the knockout stage whilst. There were also over 2.5 match goals in Mali’s 2-1 round of 16 win over Burkina Faso and DR Congo’s come-from-behind 3-1 win against Guinea in the quarter-final. Ivory Coast’s shock 4-0 group stage loss to Equatorial Guinea is the only match involving either finalist to produce over 2.5 match goals within the entire tournament. At generous odds of 4/9, under 2.5 match goals in the Africa Cup of Nations final is arguably the best bet you’ll place all weekend!
Match odds
Ivory Coast: 19/10
Draw: 15/8
Nigeria: 33/20
To win the Africa Cup of Nations
- Ivory Coast: 10/11
- Nigeria: 4/5