Ivory Coast is the new champion of the AFCON. Who would have thought that the "Elephants" would achieve this after finishing a disastrous group stage as the last best third-placed team? And who would have thought that Emerse Faé, from that moment on, would take the reins of the team and turn it into the king of Africa?

The luck of both Ivory Coast and Emerse Faé was about to change right then, after being humiliated by Equatorial Guinea with a 0-4 defeat. That loss seemed to be the end for the hosts, perhaps why they fired their coach, Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset, even before knowing if they were definitively out of the tournament.

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Then came a series of results that would classify them for the round of 16 with the last available ticket, that of the fourth best third-placed team. Just in time, but they were in. Emerse Faé then emerged to take Gasset's place.

The challenge was immense. Ivory Coast faced Senegal, champions of the previous edition, in the round of 16. Seeing how both teams arrived, it seemed impossible for the "Elephants" to reach the quarter-finals, but appearances can be deceiving. They drew in the 86th minute, forced extra time, and knocked out the champion in penalties.

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Ivory Coast went from the brink of elimination to being crowned champions of the Africa Cup of Nations. This message from the young winger is a must-watch.

In the quarter-finals, they pushed even further with a goal in the 90th minute that forced extra time and another in the second minute of extra time to finally defeat Mali.

In the semifinals, they defeated DR Congo, and in the final, they staged an epic comeback against Nigeria to win the AFCON. Four matches to start from scratch and touch the sky. That's where Emerse Faé has led Ivory Coast, also becoming the first coach to win the Africa Cup of Nations without having started the tournament in charge of the team. As unusual as it is historic.