Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has opened up on Nigeria’s painful defeat to Ivory Coast in the AFCON 2023 final, describing Sébastien Haller’s late winner as a moment that felt destined
The Super Eagles had led the game in the 38th minute through captain William Troost-Ekong’s goal. However, Ivory Coast staged an impressive comeback with Frank Kessié equalising in the 62nd minute before Sébastien Haller broke Nigeria’s hearts in the 81st minute, netting the winner for The Elephants.
In an exclusive interview with The Inside Scoop, Alex Iwobi recounted the events before the disappointing loss, shedding light on the physical toll the tournament had taken on the squad.
According to the Fulham midfielder, several key players were already struggling with injuries before kick-off, which made the task even more difficult against the hosts.
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“First and foremost, at least four or five of us were wounded going into that game. Ola had a hamstring injury, Ekong had an injury, and even me. There’s so many games, back to back. The role me and Onyeka got was to run, up and down, try and supply Lookman, Osimhen, Moses Simon, Chukwueze.”
Iwobi explained that while Nigeria’s tactical approach had been effective throughout the tournament, the uncertainty surrounding Ivory Coast’s setup posed a unique challenge.
With Emerse Faé stepping in to replace Jean-Louis Gasset following the Elephants’ underwhelming group stage campaign, the Super Eagles were left guessing how their opponents would approach the final.
“Ivory Coast had changed their players, they changed their manager, we didn’t even know what tactics they were going to play but our tactic was to defend, and our strikers, they were hurting teams.”
“What we thought was gonna help us was that we scored early, we were ahead. So we thought we’ve been able to withstand any team, let’s just defend, but there’s only so much you can defend against,” he added.
Iwobi admitted that Sébastien Haller’s story added an emotional layer to the final, saying it felt “almost written” that the striker would score the winner — referencing his inspirational comeback from battling cancer to becoming Ivory Coast’s hero on home soil.
Iwobi will be looking to channel the heartbreak of the 2023 final into motivation for the next AFCON in Morocco. The Super Eagles will also be determined to go one step further as they chase a fourth continental title.
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