The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been a goal-scoring spectacle, witnessing a record-breaking 116 goals so far, but as the tournament reaches its climax with the finals tomorrow, history suggests the final showdown between hosts Ivory Coast and Nigeria on Sunday may turn out to be a low-scoring affair.
Throughout the last 10 finals of the African football extravaganza, a total of 10 goals have been scored, with two title-deciding matches accounting for six of those goals. In 2004, Tunisia managed to defeat Morocco 2-1, while in 2017, Cameroon overcame Egypt, who were inspired by Mohamed Salah, securing victory with the same scoreline after coming from behind.
Low-scoring finals in the Africa Cup of Nations are a common occurrence, reflecting the intense pressure and national pride that fuel tense, defense-dominated battles for supremacy. In the remaining eight finals, four were won by a single goal, while the other four were determined through penalty shootouts following a scoreless 120 minutes.
Football in Africa is of great importance, and this year the stakes are higher than ever. The winners will receive a record prize money of $7 million, which is $2 million more than what Senegal received for winning the title two years ago. In addition to the prize money, winning teams have the opportunity to receive additional rewards from national governments and football federations. Meanwhile, individual players can enjoy advertising benefits as well.
The Ivory Coast and Nigeria, who made it to the AFCON finals in 2024, had previously faced each other in the group stage of the tournament. There was only one goal in the encounter, which came from a penalty taken by William Troost-Ekong, the captain of the Super Eagles. The highly anticipated final, set to attract a full house of 60,000 spectators at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan, is poised to deliver an enthralling competition.
Both teams have made it to the final with a small number of goals. The Ivorian Elephants only managed to score six goals in six matches, and no player was able to find the back of the net more than once. Among the players who found the back of the net were Simon Adingra, Oumar Diakite, Seko Fofana, Sebastien Haller, Franck Kessie, and Jean-Philippe Krasso.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has struggled to find the back of the net, managing to score only seven goals in six matches. Ademola Lookman is currently leading the scoring charts for Nigeria with three goals, while William Troost-Ekong has scored two penalties and Victor Osimhen has scored one. Napoli star Osimhen’s goal was a result of an unfortunate own goal by Opa Sangante of Guinea-Bissau, adding to the spectacle of the match.
In the battle for the Golden Boot, Lookman, with three goals, has his sights set on surpassing the current leader, Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea, who has five goals. However, it is worth noting that no player has managed to score multiple goals in a final since 1996 when South African Mark Williams achieved this feat.
The late Ivory Coast football legend Laurent Pokou holds the record for the most goals in a single AFCON match. The stadium in Abidjan for the 2024 AFCON was dedicated to Pokou, a legendary player who made history by scoring five goals in a remarkable 6-1 victory over Ethiopia during the 1970 group stage. Despite this impressive achievement, Ivory Coast was eliminated in the semi-finals that year.
With the Ivory Coast-Nigeria AFCON final just around the corner, football fans are buzzing with anticipation. They cannot help but wonder if this match will go down in history or if it will follow the trend of previous low-scoring finals in the Africa Cup of Nations.
