"They were tired" - Emerse Fae reveals how Ivory Coast denied Nigeria AFCON title

Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae has pinpointed his decisive half-time team talk as the catalyst for their Africa Cup Nations final heroics. 

Pulse Sports Nigeria reports that Fae is a hero in Cote d’Ivoire after he inspired the Elephants to a remarkable 2-1 comeback win against Nigeria in the final on Sunday.

The former French international, Fae, explained he noticed the Super Eagles were tired and below par in the first half, despite trailing 1-0.

"We noticed the Nigerian players were tired in the first half,” Fae said in a post on Instagram. “They were not at their usual best.”

The Ivorian coach told his players to raise their intensity. The message clearly hit home as second half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller completed the turnaround.

“I told my players during the half-time break that we must increase the intensity of our game and it worked out well for us,” the 40-year-old revealed.

William Troost-Ekong fired Nigeria ahead with a thunderous header in the first half, but Ivory Coast came out in the second half with more purpose and determination.

The Elephants were rewarded when Kessie cancelled Troost-Ekong’s opener with a header before Haller completed the fairytale with a stunning finish late on.

By capitalising on Nigeria's fatigue, Ivory Coast were spurred on by Fae's instructions to secure a famous 2-1 victory and seal a third-ever AFCON glory on home soil.