On Sunday, Victor Osimhen’s (VO9) Nigeria will face Ivory Coast in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, which is being hosted by the latter.
The tournament has been nothing short of thrilling and has kept the viewers on the edge of their seats.
The final will be held at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium, which is situated on the dusty outskirts of Abidjan.
The match will feature two of the most powerful footballing nations in West Africa.
Nigeria, who were crowned continental champions last time eleven years ago, will be aiming to secure their fourth title and equalize the tally with their rivals Ghana.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast will be hoping to lift their third trophy and become the first host nation to do so since 2006 when Egypt emerged victorious over them through penalties.
The journey of the Ivory Coast team to the final has been nothing less than miraculous.
It has been unlike anything that has ever happened in the history of major international tournament football.
After beating Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in the opening match on January 13, things started to go awry when they faced Nigeria in a close-fought encounter and lost 1-0.
Their troubles compounded when they suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, which was their heaviest defeat at home.
As a result, veteran French coach Jean-Louis Gasset lost his job.
The Elephants found themselves on the brink of becoming the second Cup of Nations host in the last 30 years to be eliminated in the group stage.
However, a combination of favorable results elsewhere allowed them to scrape through to the last 16 as the last of the four best third-placed teams.
It was an audacious attempt to hire Herve Renard on a short-term deal, but former player Emerse Fae became interim coach after the move failed.
Ivory Coast ousted holders Senegal on penalties in his first game.
In the quarter-final, the 10-man Ivorians beat Mali 2-1 thanks to a winning goal in added time in extra time.
In the semi-final, Sebastien Haller scored the only goal in a 1-0 defeat of the Democratic Republic of Congo, taking Ivory Coast into their first final since they won the trophy under Renard in 2015.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria, on the other hand, had a rough start.
They came into the tournament with a string of injury call-offs and a coach who had been subject to harsh criticism back home.
A 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their first match did little to ease the pressure on veteran Portuguese tactician Jose Peseiro.
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However, a switch to a three-man central defense paid dividends against Ivory Coast, and Nigeria recorded four straight wins, all with clean sheets on their way to the semi-final.
They beat South Africa on penalties after a 1-1 draw to secure their place in the final.
Napoli star Osimhen, the reigning African footballer of the year, is now just one game away from being an AFCON winner in what has often been a frustrating tournament for the 25-year-old.
He struck 10 times in qualifying but has not scored in Ivory Coast since netting in the opening game, although he has had three goals disallowed.
Nevertheless, Osimhen’s performances have been outstanding, and the masked striker has always insisted that collective glory is all that matters.
“I always say this — it has been with me since growing up — I need to win something with the Super Eagles,” Osimhen told broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique.
“Football is one of the only things that brings joy to the country. We know a lot of people have had to work so hard just to be able to watch this game.
“I am really happy that we can put smiles on their faces. Now we have one more final to go, and we will give everything to try to win it.”
