Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae toasted his team of “miracle survivors” after the host country completed one of the greatest turnarounds in major tournament history to win the Africa Cup of Nations by beating Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s final.

“It is more than a fairytale. I am struggling to take it all in,” Fae said after Ivory Coast recovered from behind at half-time at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium to win thanks to goals by Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller.

“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.”

Sunday’s victory before an official attendance of over 57,000 in Abidjan allowed the Elephants to win their third continental title.

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