Midway through January there were reports that the Ivory Coast were on the brink of an embarrassing exit from the African Cup of Nations that they were hosting, after a shock 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

They finished third in their group with two defeats and one win, meaning they had a slim chance of qualifying for the last 16. They just made it through as the fourth of the four best third-placed sides.

Ivory Coast then unbelievably sacked their manager Jean-Louis Gasset and replaced him with the assistant coach Emarse Fae as they headed into the knockout rounds.

In his first game in charge it took an 86th minute penalty to equalise against Senegal, as they went on to win on penalties against one of the pre-tournament favourites.

This continued in the quarter-finals when it was this time a 90th-minute equaliser against Mali that took the game to extra time, where a late volley clinched the win for Ivory Coast.

It was more straightforward in the semi-final with a 1-0 over DR Congo thanks to Haller’s goal. 

Then in the final against Nigeria, Ivory Coast again went behind. Kessie levelled the score after 60 minutes and then it was that man Haller again late on, with just nine minutes to play. Haller’s own story is special, with him fighting cancer and then coming back to football to win the Cup with his country.

Ivory Coast will not go down as one of the great teams to win an International football tournament, but the way in which they won will go down in the history books as an unlikely story. #mmlove