Hosts Ivory Coast triumph at the Africa Cup. Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller scores the winning goal in the final.

What a day for Sebastien Haller: the Borussia Dortmund striker celebrated the Africa Cup title with the Ivory Coast national team on Sunday. The hosts of the tournament won the final against Nigeria 2:1 (0:1). Haller played a leading role in the match. In the closing stages, he scored the winning goal for the Ivory Coast, artistically tapping a half-height cross into the goal (81′).

The West African country triumphed for the third time at the Africa Cup. BVB attacker Haller had already become the match-winner in the semi-final. He had scored to give coach Emerse Faé’s team a 1-0 win against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 29-year-old also scored in a penalty shoot-out against Senegal in the round of 16 (4:5 n.E.). Haller had missed the group stage due to injury.

Before the final, Haller’s teammates from Borussia Dortmund got in touch. They wished Haller luck for the match with a message on social media. However, the Ivory Coast got off to an unlucky start. William Troost-Ekong put Nigeria ahead towards the end of the first half (38′). He headed a corner into the goal. After just over a minute, Franck Kessié equalized for the superior Ivory Coast (62′), also with a header.

And after 75 minutes, Haller made his first big appearance. He narrowly missed the opposing goal with a spectacular side-footed shot. A short time later, the Dortmund player, who returned to action after recovering from cancer around a year ago, scored to make it 2:1 and send the fans in the sold-out stadium in the metropolis of Abidjan into jubilation. The Ivory Coast saved the 2:1 over time. “I’m a striker, I have to score goals, so I feel the pressure,” said Haller in the run-up – and delivered in the final. (ea)