The Best and Craziest Moments Of AFCON 2023: In Pictures and Videos

The recently concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been touted as one of the best-ever African tournaments in a long time. From the banter (especially from Nigerians) to the beautiful football and drama that was displayed in many of the tournament’s matches. 

We watched every single match, compiled the most incredible moments from the tournament in Ivory Coast and made it into a list, just for you.

The Malian With The Burning Bololo

When Mali lost and got knocked out of the tournament, it was painful because they had played outstanding football and had held a 1-0 lead against a 9-man Ivory Coast till the last minute.

Understandably, their head coach, Eric Chele, could feel his head on fire and it had to be cooled down with water. 

“How Did He Miss That?”

This coach’s reaction to Equatorial Guinea’s best player, Emilio Nsue, missing a penalty is priceless. The shock was palpable and we’re sure all he was asking was “How did he miss that?”

It’s like checking the result sheet and seeing that the smartest person in your class got an F, you know you’re already finished. 

Hands Of Steel

South Africa’s Goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, kept their hopes alive when he saved four penalties against Cape Verde to send Bafana Bafana to the Semi-Finals. That was a crazy feat and he ended up winning the award for Goalkeeper of the tournament. 

South Africa’s Peace Of Mind

After knocking out Morocco, one of the favourites to win the tournament, the South African team took to the sidelines to re-enact Ronaldo’s iconic celebration.

Too bad Nigeria took that peace away from them in the Semi-Finals. 

Caught in 4k

This Ivoirien uncle was caught in 4k by the cameras whispering and asking for phone number instead of concentrating on the match. He definitely had a lot of explanation to do when he got home.

Nigeria vs South Africa

This match delivered everything it was supposed to give, from online banter to a dramatic end of full-time to a penalty shootout. A 2-0 lead for Nigeria became a 1-1 Draw in less than a minute. 

Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali also cemented his position as a National hero with 2 incredible penalty saves to send the Super Eagles to the finals. 

“God Save The Ref“

The referee of the Mali vs Côte D’Ivoire match was seconds away from being beaten like a thief after he didn’t stop the match at 120 minutes, giving way for an Ivorien goal at 121 minutes. Is it an AFCON if there are no fights?

It Was Destined

From quitting football to surviving testicular cancer and almost getting kicked out in the group stages, Sebastian Haller had gone through a lot in the past 2 years. 

That’s why him scoring the winning goal to give Ivory Coast the cup felt like a perfect story, destined by the gods. 

Nigerians vs Everybody 

The highlight of the AFCON on social media was watching other nationalities trying to banter Nigerians. Nigerians held their own against everyone and didn’t fail to drag Ghana at every occasion. 

Nigeria lost out in the finals but at least, we had fun coming together as a community to watch the boys make us proud in Ivory Coast. 

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