Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae described his team as miracle survivors following another come from behind win as they beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Sunday. 
The hosts were one nil down at half-time at Ebimpe Olympic Stadium, but second half goals from Franck Kessie and Sébastien Haller sealed the momentous win.
“It is more than a fairytale. I am struggling to take it all in. When I think about all we have been through, we are miracle survivors.
“We never gave up and we managed to come back from so many tough blows,” Fae said to reporters.
The Elephants added their third AFCON title in the tournament’s history.
The hosts scrapped through to the last 16 thanks to favourable results from other groups after their third place finish in Group A.
The Ivorians lost to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in the group stages, results that forced the Federation to sack coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
The Elephants rode their luck in the knockout, coming from behind in their hard wins over Senegal and Mali.
“All our games were difficult. We kept having to come from behind and we really had to draw on all our physical and mental reserves.”
“I can’t properly express my joy. It is massive. I dreamed of winning the AFCON as a player and didn’t manage it,”
“Now I have had the opportunity as a coach, albeit in strange circumstances.
“I took over when we were not even sure of getting out of our group. It was a strange birthday but thankfully we got a second chance and grabbed it,” added Fae.
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