00:00 It was their third time lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
00:05 And after their stunning triumph one day prior, Ivory Coast's football team returned to the
00:10 stadium on Monday for their victory parade amongst thousands of jubilant fans.
00:16 We won honestly, without cheating. We won on merit. We won with style. That's what makes
00:23 me happy. We won with style. And at any time, we knew we could score again.
00:28 I am so happy and delighted and also emotional for our president who gave us everything we
00:35 needed to win this tournament.
00:39 It was an unlikely victory for the Elephants, who are the first host nation to win the title
00:43 since 2006. The country was facing an early exit until squeezing through to the knockout
00:49 stage and another setback was parting ways with their veteran coach after their third
00:54 match. In a storybook twist, he was replaced by fellow Ivorian Emers Faye, who'd never
01:00 even coached before.
01:03 It was extraordinary. It was a competition where there was a lot of suspense, a lot of
01:07 turnarounds, goals, entertainment. I think that Ivory Coast can be proud of its Afghan.
01:13 It was beautiful, it was rich. It gave us a lot of surprises, a lot of twists and turns.
01:18 I'm really happy for the country to have been able to host an Afghan at this level.
01:26 The Elephants will look to defend their title in the 2025 tournament in Morocco.
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