Thousands of Ivorian supporters took to the streets of Abidjan on Monday to celebrate Ivory Coast's victory at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fans whistling and vovuzzula, singing and chanting slogans, poured out from the commuter buses near the Félix-Houphou T-Boigny stadium, and many ran to arrive just in time to catch the culmination of the team's victory parade across the city.
In Sunday's final, the Elephants beat Nigeria 2-1 to claim their third World Cup title after winning the title in 1992 and 2015. This sparked unbridled celebrations in Abidjan and elsewhere that lasted all night.
It is God's will," Issouf Traor, an Ivorian worker, told the Associated Press on Monday. Like many, he believes that there is a God reason behind the team's unlikely success after being almost eliminated in the group stage and the coach being fired after the group stage.
Interim coach Emerse Fa became the first person in the history of the World Cup to win the title without a coach in the first place.
It's a fantastic story," supporter Sanogo Karamoko told The Associated Press. He was referring to the long wait after the host country won the biennial World Cup. The last time was Egypt in 2006.
Fans cheered in the stadium to the accompaniment of loud ** dancing and cheering, while some rested as the bells rang for the all-night celebration.
The fans also went straight to the team's hotel in the Kokodi district, and from there, the team slowly made its way through the sea of fans on the road.
Some waved Moroccan flags to thank the Atlas Lions for keeping Ivory Coast in the game. Hosts Côte d'Ivoire were in danger of an early exit until Morocco beat Zambia in the other group to make it to the knockout stages and become one of the four best four third-placed teams in six groups.
If it weren't for Morocco's victory, we wouldn't have qualified," said Aminata Sahon, who wears a Moroccan hat and carries a Moroccan bag. 'For us, the game would have been over, but they came, they scored, they won. It gives us opportunities, gives us strength, and gives us the belief to struggle. Well, it paid off. ”
Ivory Coast continued to have setbacks in their way to the final, overcoming the plight of their coach being sacked and beating defending champions Senegal and Mali by a trailing score in the knockout stages.
Sambastian Haller scored the winning goal against Congo in the semi-finals to help his side reach the final, and then scored the winning goal in the final against Nigeria.
After the game, the Dortmund striker was emotional. Haller has only been back for just over a year after undergoing cancer**.
Every game is tough," Ivorian midfielder Fofana said after the final. "We want everyone to enjoy this moment because it's not every day. ”