MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
While much of America ground to a halt last night to watch the Super Bowl, so too did much of Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations. That soccer final pitted hosts Cote d'Ivoire against Nigeria. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu brings us this not entirely neutral report from Lagos.
EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE: The Africa Cup of Nations is always an amazing spectacle, but this one has been one of the most surreal and dramatic. Two billion people have watched around the world, a record, and thousands of fans have gathered for the last month in Cote d'Ivoire. The hosts opened the tournament with this song, "Akwaba," meaning welcome in Aka.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AKWABA")
MAGIC SYSTEM: (Singing in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: And their team has had the most chaotic tournament. They sacked their coach, were minutes from elimination, but have defied odds and willed themselves here. And no one has embodied this more than their 29-year-old striker, Sebastien Haller. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022, and his career was in jeopardy. But after just six months, he returned to football. And he scored the winning goal that led them to the final against Nigeria.
I'm at a packed bar in Lagos, and the carnival vibe here has just completely deflated. Cote d'Ivoire are winning 2-1. We're in the dying minutes of the game. And, of course, it was Sebastien Haller who scored the winning goal, just capping off one of the most incredible football stories in this tournament.
And there have been poignant moments, too. Before their semifinal match, players from the Democratic Republic of Congo covered their mouths and pointed their hands to their heads in the shape of a gun during their national anthem. This was to draw attention to the violence that has overwhelmed eastern DRC. And it was a reminder of how sport is often the stage for powerful political expressions and how it can move people.
MIROBA ALA-LADIYA: I got my whole face painted because I was invested in them winning.
AKINWOTU: Waiting during the game, 28-year-old Miroba Ala-ladiya summed up what the tournament has meant for Nigeria and beyond.
ALA-LADIYA: Amazing football, naturally the sport that brings people together. So I think this has definitely been a unifying period for us.
AKINWOTU: So that's it. Cote d'Ivoire have won just one of the most memorable AFCON tournaments in my lifetime. The vibe here is pretty sad. People are streaming out. The DJ's playing Burna Boy "Last Last." People are joking that we've chopped our breakfast. That's one of the lyrics in the song goes. But, of course, far away from here, elation in Cote d'Ivoire. Just an incredible, incredible comeback victory. Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Lagos. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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