Second half goals from Franck Kessié and Sébastien Haller were enough to overcome a 1-0 first-half deficit in Ivory Coast’s triumph in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The win of the title by the hosts breaks an 18-year record in the tournament with Egypt the last country to host and win, in 2006.
The win by the Elephants counts as their third title, which puts them equal on record with their opponents on Sunday.
There was little expectation from the hosts after they lost two of their three home games.
After the 2-0 opening day win over Guinea-Bissau, the 1992, 2015 and now 2023 champions lost 1-0 to the Super Eagles, courtesy a penalty by William Troost-Ekong, who scored again in the final, and an embarrassing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea.
The disappointment saw the national team part ways with head coach Jean-Louis Gasset ahead of the next stage, which they qualified for as one of the best third-placed teams.
With Assistant Coach Emerse Fae coming into the fray, they saw off defending champions Senegal in the Round of 16 on penalties before beating Mali after extra time in the quarter-finals.
The Ivorians beat DR Congo in the semi-finals by a lone goal to set up a second clash with the Super Eagles in the final.
Nigerian captain Troost-Ekong scored in the first half, lifting hopes of his side clinching a fourth title.
But the Ivorians had other ideas after the break as they scored two goals to overturn the deficit, Haller with the winner from a sublime chip of Simon Adingra’s cross.
It was joy for home fans as their side shoved aside a gloomy group stage to bring smiles to them all.
