Africa Football Discussion || Current Topic: AFCON 2025 Qualifiers - CAF.

[püsür]

That’s football, it’s either you win or you lose in a final match.
The players did their best from the beginning of the tournament till this stage, they all played with their heart to represent the nation, and it ended like this, it is not a bad one in my opinion.

It is always hard for against a host team that is also the best loser in a tournament, Ivory Coast deserves the victory because they played well throughout the tournament.

But some players in Nigeria did not play well today especially Iwobi, and Ola Aina but we can’t do anything about it.
In the end, Kudos to the coach and his team, they did well.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, and goodbye AFCON.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Yes Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

[Abdulzuruku01]

That’s football, it’s either you win or you lose in a final match.
The players did their best from the beginning of the tournament till this stage, they all played with their heart to represent the nation, and it ended like this, it is not a bad one in my opinion.

It is always hard for against a host team that is also the best loser in a tournament, Ivory Coast deserves the victory because they played well throughout the tournament.

But some players in Nigeria did not play well today especially Iwobi, and Ola Aina but we can’t do anything about it.
In the end, Kudos to the coach and his team, they did well.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, and goodbye AFCON.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Joe Peseiro shouldn't have started with Chukwueze because he was not helpful in that match and Simon's performance was far better than his own. When you look at the goals we scored in the tournament, almost all of them came from Simon's wing, so I'm still wondering why he didn't start with him. The match didn't even look like a final because Nigeria began the game with fear. Our attackers were doing nothing and only Victor Osimhen was suffering in that attack. The only on target we have in the first half was the one we scored.

again, our midfield was exposed only Onyeka was playing well. I'm not even interested in discussing about Iwobi because he hasn't focused on this tournament and has consistently played poorly. I don't pray he and Aina should ever represent our country in a competition again. If Aina had been able to mark Adingra, other ivory coast players would not have seen the ball to play, but he underrated him and which the boy really played well and proved him wrong.

Although it was a good game, Ivory Coast actually performed very well, If not for our goalkeeper I think we will concede a lot of goals. Congratulations to Ivory Coast!

[Ondekinecakabilirim]

Ivory Coast have made an incredible comeback. They did that throughout the whole tournament. That's why Nigeria were my favorites for the final match. Because I thought they couldn't do it again, but Ivory Coast did it again. It has been a memorable tournament for them. I liked Sebastian Haller's goal. He touched the ball with the sole of his foot. That goal reminded me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He used to make aesthetic one-timers on hard control passes like that. If Sebastian Haller had tried to control the ball in that position he would never have scored.

[AprilioMP]

Ivory Coast have made an incredible comeback. They did that throughout the whole tournament. That's why Nigeria were my favorites for the final match. Because I thought they couldn't do it again, but Ivory Coast did it again. It has been a memorable tournament for them.

I watched the final but not from the start. I watched when Nigeria was already leading 1-0.
The AFCON final match was very fierce because Ivory Coast continued to try to score goals when they were already 1-0 behind Nigeria. Franck Kessie's header from the corner was the first goal for Ivory Coast's success in making an extraordinary comeback. Even the Ivory Coast football legend and former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, celebrated by running in the stands.

I liked Sebastian Haller's goal. He touched the ball with the sole of his foot. That goal reminded me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He used to make aesthetic one-timers on hard control passes like that. If Sebastian Haller had tried to control the ball in that position he would never have scored.

Haller's goal as the winning goal and the goal that led Ivory Coast to become AFCON champions is very similar to the goal scored by Zlatan Inbrahimovic. That's right.
Haller's goal in this final was his 9th goal for the Ivory Coast national team in 23 matches.

[Spaceman1000$]

That’s football, it’s either you win or you lose in a final match.
The players did their best from the beginning of the tournament till this stage, they all played with their heart to represent the nation, and it ended like this, it is not a bad one in my opinion.

It is always hard for against a host team that is also the best loser in a tournament, Ivory Coast deserves the victory because they played well throughout the tournament.

But some players in Nigeria did not play well today especially Iwobi, and Ola Aina but we can’t do anything about it.
In the end, Kudos to the coach and his team, they did well.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, and goodbye AFCON.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Yes Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

[Cryptomultiplier]

That’s football, it’s either you win or you lose in a final match.
The players did their best from the beginning of the tournament till this stage, they all played with their heart to represent the nation, and it ended like this, it is not a bad one in my opinion.

It is always hard for against a host team that is also the best loser in a tournament, Ivory Coast deserves the victory because they played well throughout the tournament.

But some players in Nigeria did not play well today especially Iwobi, and Ola Aina but we can’t do anything about it.
In the end, Kudos to the coach and his team, they did well.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, and goodbye AFCON.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Yes Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

On the contrary, I believe the super Eagles started with much pressure of play and that's what made the referee give a second look at every foul and made a decision based on the pressure the team started with.
I agree super Eagles couldn't just hold the ball on the ground and play to win possession, instead, they were just throwing the passes to the front for Osimhen or Lookman to perform magic.

[Hewlet]

Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

I'm a Nigerian and the super eagle is my favourite team in this tournament  but I have to give big kudos to the Ivorian team for the display of strength and power  in the final match of the afcon tournament.  They indeed played like a champion and I'm sending a warm congratulation to them.

That being said, the super Eagle made Nigerian proud that they are indeed the giant of Africa through the resilient and the fighting spirit they put out throughout the tournament and i send a big respect to the two men that made the tournament a memorable one for Nigerians talking about the likes of Williams troost ekong and the giant goal keeper, odogwu nwabali.

This has been one of the best Afcon I have ever witnessed and we accept the second position hoping to come back stronger in the next Afcon.

[uchegod-21]

Congratulations to Ivory Coast and Commiserations Nigerian Football Federation.

Weldone boys the didn't do well yeah, but you just have to give them flowers, if you play football you'll know it's never easy and also you'll not want to criticize these players.
At times all you need is to be a good losers before you can definitely win. We go again inthe next year's ahead. Some players dull ad fatigued but we can't say too much.

Shout out to Trust Ekong who was awarded player of the tournament yesterday. Congratulations once again to them Ivorians, Bye AFCON!

As a Nigerian I had wished that the super Eagles of Nigeria will win the African Nations Cup competition that was held in Ivory coast. But then I was not so confident about the super Eagles winning because all I had was a mere wish. And the real field of play the ivorians were much better than the super Eagles. I already knew that the Super Eagles might not survive it because before the finals I have never had a positive mindset towards the super Eagles. Whenever I remember the finals I was greeted with fear. This is because the method by which the Ivory coast national team qualified from the group match was so miraculous and dramatic and with the strength of their own fans it was clear that they were going to win. Congratulations to them because they played better football than the Super Eagles just like the South Africans did.

[Hirose UK]

~snip~

It was a disappointing final match where Nigeria would have come out smoking especially after they managed to get a goal from the centre back, Paul Ekong. The coach was not very smart in any way when he was suppose to have made substitution early as calls where made for nwobi to be removed. My question was why were they attacking at the end of the match whilst they were suppose to keep the attack on when they were ahead. It is a poor final match from the Nigerian team.

In every final match there is always drama of violations that will occur and there are quite lot of yellow cards issued by the referee, but each team is more careful not to make fatal mistakes that involve red cards and harm the team.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast really played with quite different performances, Ivory Coast had more dominant, complete control over every minute of the match, making Nigeria game more pressured to get opportunities in attacking efforts.
From this match Ivory Coast had more attack attempts and it was clear that Nigeria defense line was actually quite weak, they were unable to really withstand every attack that occurred.
Many people said that this was pretty heated final match but looking at the progress of the match it was clear that Nigeria performance was not as expected, Osimhen who was striker also couldn't play well.

This was tough final for Nigeria and congratulations to Ivory Coast for winning the AFCON Cup.

[Die_empty]

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

The Super Eagles gave the Elephants so much respect. Nigerian players were playing as if they were scared and they looked jittery. The coach's tactics are flawed because you cannot play an attacking such as Ivory Coast by defending. The coach planned to keep withstanding the pressure from the Ivorians while they sought opportunities to use the counterattack.

But the Ivoorian coach seems to be more tactical because they could cut off the Nigerian point man Victor making the attack inactive. And the midfield man Alex was in shambles because he couldn't connect to the attackers. It was Onyeka who worked so hard to stabilise the team. Nigeria should count themselves lucky that they didn't concede more than two goals. However, the Nigerian team did very well by clinching the silver medal because they were able to struggle to get good records. I will join the majority that believes that the Ivorians deserved to win the competition.       

[Docnaster]

~snip~

It was a disappointing final match where Nigeria would have come out smoking especially after they managed to get a goal from the centre back, Paul Ekong. The coach was not very smart in any way when he was suppose to have made substitution early as calls where made for nwobi to be removed. My question was why were they attacking at the end of the match whilst they were suppose to keep the attack on when they were ahead. It is a poor final match from the Nigerian team.

In every final match there is always drama of violations that will occur and there are quite lot of yellow cards issued by the referee, but each team is more careful not to make fatal mistakes that involve red cards and harm the team.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast really played with quite different performances, Ivory Coast had more dominant, complete control over every minute of the match, making Nigeria game more pressured to get opportunities in attacking efforts.
From this match Ivory Coast had more attack attempts and it was clear that Nigeria defense line was actually quite weak, they were unable to really withstand every attack that occurred.
Many people said that this was pretty heated final match but looking at the progress of the match it was clear that Nigeria performance was not as expected, Osimhen who was striker also couldn't play well.

This was tough final for Nigeria and congratulations to Ivory Coast for winning the AFCON Cup.

The final of the 2024 CAF African Cup Of Nations between Nigeria and Ivory Coast ended in a win for the Ivorians and personally, I think they deserve the win because they want played better than Nigeria but we must not shy away from the fact that some of the decisions of the referee was in favour of Ivory Coast which I think a lot of Nigerians aren't just happy with the man's officiation.

Before the final, I told my brother that Ivory Coast will win the final because they've been very lucky since the start of the tournament. They were able to progress out of the group stages as one of the best losers after losing two games and winning one of the three games that was played in the group stage. They also had other lucky results in the knockout stages and that's why I think they'll be  eventual winners. Nigeria played well and were the best team of the tournament if you ask me but unfortunately for them they failed to win it

[adultcrypto]

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

The Super Eagles gave the Elephants so much respect. Nigerian players were playing as if they were scared and they looked jittery. The coach's tactics are flawed because you cannot play an attacking such as Ivory Coast by defending. The coach planned to keep withstanding the pressure from the Ivorians while they sought opportunities to use the counterattack.

Now I know that you also saw what I saw. The Eagles were practically fatigued in that match, I don't know if they were threatened, I doubt that was the case but honestly, I was surprised how they were so heavy to play the ball. Onyeka, Aina and even Chukwueze were all terrified to play the ball unlike in previous matches where Onyeka and Aina were the backbone of the Nigerian defense together with Ekong. One other thing I noticed was that the officiating was against the Eagles. Throughout the match, each time Osimhen contested the ball with the opponent, the referee always blow against him. You could see his frustration and lost of interest in the match.

I must admit that this AFCON was fantastic and one of the most engaging of it. This edition would have set the pace for future AFCONS and I think more European based players will begin to think home going forward.

[Pokapoka124]

 Jose Poseiro’s all defensive strategy does not fit Iwobi and Onyeka’s style of football. So why is Iwobi being dragged on the internet? The cyber bullying is too much. The Super Eagles captain had to release a statement online to the fans to calm them down. This criticism is coming from people who did not support the Super Eagles from the start, they only joined the band wagon when they saw the team was going to make it to the final. How is Iwobi singled out as the reason Nigeria lost the finals?

[SatoPrincess]

The Super Eagles gave the Elephants so much respect. Nigerian players were playing as if they were scared and they looked jittery. The coach's tactics are flawed because you cannot play an attacking such as Ivory Coast by defending. The coach planned to keep withstanding the pressure from the Ivorians while they sought opportunities to use the counterattack.

But the Ivoorian coach seems to be more tactical because they could cut off the Nigerian point man Victor making the attack inactive. And the midfield man Alex was in shambles because he couldn't connect to the attackers. It was Onyeka who worked so hard to stabilise the team. Nigeria should count themselves lucky that they didn't concede more than two goals. However, the Nigerian team did very well by clinching the silver medal because they were able to struggle to get good records. I will join the majority that believes that the Ivorians deserved to win the competition.       

The issue I have with Poseiro is that he couldn’t react to the mistakes they made in the first half. To be fair, defensive styles have won games so it’s not strange to see that style of play in competitions. What I don’t understand is why did he not change his strategy when he saw that the defensive strategy was not going to win the game.

Jose Poseiro contract has ended. The question on everybody minds, are we renewing his contract or should we look for another manager?

[Antotena]

As a Nigerian I had wished that the super Eagles of Nigeria will win the African Nations Cup competition that was held in Ivory coast. But then I was not so confident about the super Eagles winning because all I had was a mere wish. And the real field of play the ivorians were much better than the super Eagles. I already knew that the Super Eagles might not survive it because before the finals I have never had a positive mindset towards the super Eagles. Whenever I remember the finals I was greeted with fear. This is because the method by which the Ivory coast national team qualified from the group match was so miraculous and dramatic and with the strength of their own fans it was clear that they were going to win. Congratulations to them because they played better football than the Super Eagles just like the South Africans did.

I will not lie to you, my night was ruined by Nigeria performance. We have not been playing best game so far but our defense organization always helps us until the final but yesterday match was our worst match in the Afcon, if there was any match we should lose to Ivory coast, it shouldn't have been yesterday match because of the high expectations of Nigerians but we all see our Ivory coast out played us by statistics and by performance, a well deserved win for the elephant nation.

Super eagles should learn a big lessons from the match, defensinve game win you match but you have to improve your attacks and midfielders. Osimhen wasn't getting ball from midfielders, there was no any form of connections yesterday, worst play they did yesterday. I hope Jose Pesero learn from his mistakes as well because I believe the players follow what he instructed them to play yesterday.

[Doan9269]

Ivory Coast have made an incredible comeback. They did that throughout the whole tournament. That's why Nigeria were my favorites for the final match. Because I thought they couldn't do it again, but Ivory Coast did it again. It has been a memorable tournament for them. I liked Sebastian Haller's goal. He touched the ball with the sole of his foot. That goal reminded me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He used to make aesthetic one-timers on hard control passes like that. If Sebastian Haller had tried to control the ball in that position he would never have scored.

By the virtue of their respective performances in the just concluded AFCON 3024, no one will ever believed that Nigeria could have achieved this far with the kind of pattern they have adopted in playing the match, this last final with Ivory Coast is a real battle that we just can't expect that Ivory Coast shouldn't win by the way of their performance in that match, in every points they have defeated Nigeria since the beginning of the match to the end, the one goal Ekong gave us was by luck and chance while the ones they score us was by their proficiencies.

[rachael9385]

OMG,,, yesterday was very much sad for me because I thought we were going to get der cup but unfortunately we didn't but with the performance of Nigerian team, it wasn't much appreciated because on what I see right at the second half our players were afraid to keep playing the game and on what makes us to lose the match.
Be that as it may, I don't see any need for we to hold our possession strong from the day one of the AFCON competition until the right end and they just played the game with fear and that's was frustrating because they didn't perform as we all expected them to play the match.
We lost Grammy to South Africans and still lose the match competition to Ivory Coast. Moreover we tried, super eagles tried well all their games but when it comes to the final day which was yesterday they didn't act as expected.
Nwabali the goal keeper performed absolutely well as he tried his best to save as must shot on goals that the Ivory Coast players hard and it wasn't easy because I see that in every final games there will always be high tension for each participants but as they are already used to it they shouldn't have been scared that the second half and that's what makes them to lose the match yesterday.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

Jose Poseiro’s all defensive strategy does not fit Iwobi and Onyeka’s style of football. So why is Iwobi being dragged on the internet? The cyber bullying is too much. The Super Eagles captain had to release a statement online to the fans to calm them down. This criticism is coming from people who did not support the Super Eagles from the start, they only joined the band wagon when they saw the team was going to make it to the final. How is Iwobi singled out as the reason Nigeria lost the finals?

Quite alright I don't like the defensive type of football the coach played. Even at the time it was obvious it wasn't working out for him and the players were under heavy pressure. He couldn't change the prayer to a more befitting strategy for the match.

The defensive pattern gave the Ivorians the opportunity to create more chances and take shots frequently thereby stressing the goalkeeper unnecessarily every time.

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

[Spaceman1000$]

That’s football, it’s either you win or you lose in a final match.
The players did their best from the beginning of the tournament till this stage, they all played with their heart to represent the nation, and it ended like this, it is not a bad one in my opinion.

It is always hard for against a host team that is also the best loser in a tournament, Ivory Coast deserves the victory because they played well throughout the tournament.

But some players in Nigeria did not play well today especially Iwobi, and Ola Aina but we can’t do anything about it.
In the end, Kudos to the coach and his team, they did well.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, and goodbye AFCON.

Congratulations to Ivory Coast they were far better than Nigeria they controlled the game throughout and they showed they were well prepared for the final, the players were well composed and didn’t give up despite going a goal down. Nigeria on the other hand lacked composure and played like an underdog despite having the lead before half time they couldn’t define their play and I didn’t see any style of play in their game.

I feel they have been lucky all through the competition because their style of play have not been convincing enough as all teams they face easily outplayed them but they usually get lucky to win one way or another. Nigeria lacks midfield and that was their major weakness and it cost them the game because Iwobi was totally careless and was useless throughout the game, Ola Aina was also very poor and allowed Adingra to exploit him and assisted two goals all from his wing.

Ivory Coast deserved to win because they were clearly the better team, they had more goal attempts and created more chances.

Yes Ivory Coast clearly deserved to win. A marvellous cup triumph. There was nothing to be done about the first goal, the ball travelled very well and they fell behind. But after they fell behind, Ivory Coast performed in such a way that in the second half they almost crush a strong team like Nigeria. It was a good match to watch, I really enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the first goal, maybe it could have gone to extra time with a goalless draw, but Ivory Coast played the best game they have played in this cup in the final and deservedly won the cup. Congratulations Ivory Coast.

From the beginning of the game, ivory coast played with a very high spirit. They where so aggressive in their playing pattern, like they came here for victory alone. The Nigerian side where more relaxed, they weren't biting hard, the midfield of Nigeria was porous, it was safe to say the midfield was conquered by the ivorian players.. even when Nigeria scored that first goal, the Ivorians weren't relenting they kept on coming hard on Nigeria both attack and Midfield. With the way they played they were hungry for victory and so they got victory.  The major problem Nigeria had was the midfield, and the three men they played on the midfield were not formidable enough, they would have used another formation maybe 442.

On the contrary, I believe the super Eagles started with much pressure of play and that's what made the referee give a second look at every foul and made a decision based on the pressure the team started with.
I agree super Eagles couldn't just hold the ball on the ground and play to win possession, instead, they were just throwing the passes to the front for Osimhen or Lookman to perform magic.

Your last paragraph is having exactly my own thoughts. Looking at how the game went iwobi, onyeka chuckwueze where not handling the midfield very well, just like you said, they where just giving osimhen the ball upfront without any physical support as if they want him to do magic with the ball. The goal scored by trooks ekong didn't even make the boys increase their confidence, Ivorians played to to a point where for like 2-4 minutes Nigerian players didn't touch the ball, because the ivorian had more of the ball possession.

[snipie]

Besides the defensive pattern, I'm Very much annoyed with the coach for starting Chukwueze and Iwobi in that match. Iheanacho and Yusuf could've done better and Osihmen should've been removed from the 70th minutes

This, without mentioning that Ivory Coast team is very lucky!
They won 1 match with 2 goals then lost vs Nigeria and vs Equatorial Guinea by 1 and 4 goals respectively, yet they managed to qualify!
They beat Senegal by penalties Mali at the last moments each time then DR Congo and Nigeria by one goal difference each.
I don't find them impressive but quite lucky. Nigeria made many mistakes and it was paid fast!