The Africa Cup of Nations has seen a record-breaking 116 goals so far, but as the tournament nears its end, the final match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria could be a low-scoring affair. History indicates that the final showdown on Sunday may not be a high-scoring game, as previous finals have tended to be tense and defense-dominated.
In the past 10 finals of the African football showpiece, there have been only 10 goals, with four of the matches being decided by penalty shootouts after 120 goalless minutes. With football being the dominant sport in Africa, the AFCON finals are often filled with pride and pressure, resulting in intense struggles for supremacy on the field.
The winning team stands to gain record prize money of $7 million, along with potential additional rewards from national governments, football federations, and advertising. Ivory Coast and Nigeria, the two finalists, have already met in the tournament, producing only one goal in their previous encounter.
Despite reaching the final, Ivory Coast has managed to score just six goals in six matches, and no player from their team has netted more than once. Nigeria, on the other hand, has found scoring challenging, with statistics showing seven goals in six outings.
In the race for the Golden Boot, Ademola Lookman of Nigeria is best placed to overtake the long-time chart-topper, Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea, with three goals to his name. However, no player has scored more than once in a final match since 1996, and there has only ever been one hat-trick in 31 finals of the tournament.
The final match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria is expected to draw a capacity crowd of 60,000 to the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan. With the anticipation of a low-scoring final, football fans are eager to see which team will emerge victorious in this highly competitive tournament.
