ABIDJAN: A host nation holds its breath. Ivory Coast is on the verge of a scarcely believable third Africa Cup of Nations title, but the Elephants must first continue their remarkable run by beating old rival Nigeria in Sunday´s final. The Super Eagles are confident of capturing what would be their fourth continental crown. Portuguese coach José Peseiro has reshaped the team into a hard-working defensively stable unit, and he can count on African player of the year Victor Osimhen to lead the attack and torment the Ivorian defenders. Nigeria already defeated Ivory Coast 1-0 in the group stage thanks to a second-half penalty from team captain William Troost-Ekong. That was first game of four in which the Super Eagles didn´t concede a goal – a run ended only when South Africa´s Teboho Mokoena scored a last-minute penalty to send their semifinal into extra time. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made two penalty saves in the shootout to ensure Nigeria progressed. The tension and drama in that semifinal were too much for some Nigerian fans. The team held a minute´s silence on Thursday for up to five supporters who died during the match. Osimhen has only scored one goal in the tournament, but it´s not for a lack of trying. The Napoli forward had three goals ruled out for various reasons and has been inspiring the rest of the team with his tireless performances. Ivory Coast´s loss to Nigeria in the group stage was just the start of the Elephants´ troubles. The team was shocked by Equatorial Guinea 4-0 in the next game – a result that left the host nation on the brink of a humiliating group-stage exit.