ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — We name our Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament, with finalists Ivory Coast and Nigeria prominently represented in the Dream XI.

Williams excelled throughout the campaign, enjoying the familiarity with his Mamelodi Sundowns teammates in an all-Brazilians defensive unit.

He kept five clean sheets in seven matches during South Africa’s run to the bronze medal, and didn’t concede from open play after the opening 2-0 defeat by Mali.

Williams was also the hero of the quarterfinal victory over Cape Verde, delivering a man-of-the-match display with vital one-on-one saves during the contest before breaking an all-time AFCON record by saving four spotkicks in the shootout.

His penalty save from Congo DR’s Meschak Elia in the third-place playoff also ensured Bafana Bafana clinched the bronze medal.

He just squeezed out Nigeria’s revelation Stanley Nwabali.

An AFCON triumph would have been no less than Troost-Ekong deserved for his sterling campaign for the Super Eagles.

He adapted well to coach Jose Peseiro’s back three/five, and his leadership and composed organisation of the backline — a defensive unit that was breached only once from open play before the Ivory Coast’s late comeback in the final — was critical to Nigeria’s run in the tournament.

He also stepped up to make critical contributions at the other end, notably with penalties converted against South Africa — during the match and in the shootout — and in the group-stage victory over the hosts.

Troost-Ekong netted in the final, putting the Eagles on course for a fourth continental crown until the Elephants’ late comeback.

Resilient, rugged, aerially dominant, Gaspar was a key presence in the heart of the backline for Angola as they reached the quarterfinals.

He was influential as clean sheets were secured against Burkina Faso and Namibia, and only Omar Colley of The Gambia averaged more clearances per match during the campaign.

The Toulouse stopper enjoyed a convincing maiden AFCON campaign, forging an excellent pairing with Roberto Lopes at the heart of the Blue Sharks’ defence.

He made some crucial interventions to deny Ghana a second goal in the group stage opener, before Cape Verde ultimately nabbed a late winner to set the tone for their fine campaign, and was key as the islanders registered a clean sheet against Mozambique.

Mauritania and South Africa were also neutralised in the knockout stages, and, at 23, Costa has time on his side as he looks to become one of the finest African centre-backs of his generation.

play

The breakout star of Ivory Coast’s AFCON triumph

Ed Dove reflects on a tournament to remember as hosts Ivory Coast are crowned AFCON champions.

Adingra was billed as a tournament breakout star, but he was under-used, and perhaps not trusted, by original Elephants head coach Jean-Louis Gasset during the group stage; ultimately, he was given only a brief cameo on the 4-0 mauling by Equatorial Guinea.

Fortunately for the Ivorians — and for Adingra — they got a second chance, and the Brighton & Hove Albion player promptly set about making his mark in the tournament.

Only two players averaged more key passes per match than the 22-year-old, with Adingra also coming off the bench to net the 90th-minute equaliser against Mali in the quarterfinals to keep the miracle alive.

In the final, the youngster, by now a starter, registered two assists to inspire the Elephants’ comeback and clinch the man-of-the-match award.

Mokoena was another Sundowns player who enjoyed a fine tournament, helped, certainly, by the automatic playing habits he shared with the entire defensive unit behind him — all of whom are his teammates at club level.

He was among the players most responsible for Bafana’s excellent defensive performance through the campaign — marshalling the midfield with attention, diligence and tenacity — but he also made big contributions at the other end.

The 27-year-old netted the second goal to kill off Morocco in the round of 16, and his 90th-minute penalty equaliser against Nigeria allowed South Africa to take the tie to extra-time and keep the dream alive a little longer.

A case could be made for Seko, Fofana or Jean-Michael Seri to represent the hosts in the centre of this midfield, with all three making big contributions as the Elephants marched towards the title.

Seri, in particular, excelled after bring introduced to the team by coach Emerse Faé, adding poise and control to a midfield that had sorely been lacking both during Gasset’s tenure.

But we plumped for Kessié, who overcame some difficult moments — and fan criticism — to play a key role during the knockout stages.

Kessié stepped up to take the 86th-minute penalty against Senegal in the round of 16, equalising and saving the hosts from elimination.

His intense, robust performance against Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi in the final helped Ivory Coast assert themselves, and his equaliser ultimately sent the West Africans on their way to glory.

play

AFCON champions Ivory Coast celebrate with parade in Abidjan

Ivory Coast fans flood the streets of Abidjan to celebrate winning the Africa Cup of Nations.

Giving off pure Ze Roberto vibes for Congo DR, Moutoussamy proved himself to be a rare gem of a midfielder in the international arena.

Operating principally as a driving deep-lying midfielder, he also adopted more advanced roles for the Central Africans — even pushing up behind the strikers in Gael Kakuta’s absence. With a sharp left foot, he’s also capable of playing up and down the left flank.

The Nantes skipper was among the unsung heroes of the Congo DR’s AFCON campaign; even when the chips were down for the Leopards, he sought to inspire them forward and take responsibility further up the pitch.

A potential Player of the Tournament, this was truly Lookman’s coming of age in the international area after a stop-start Nigeria career.

His guile and invention proved tricky for defenders to contain, while he also boasted a cutting edge — finishing the tournament as Nigeria’s joint top scorer.

Lookman scored all the Super Eagles’ goals in the round-of-16 victory over Cameroon and the quarterfinals triumph against Angola, benefiting from the extra attention given to Victor Osimhen, and he appeared to relish making up for lost time with the national side.

A most unlikely Golden Boot winner, the versatile Nsue has played across the park during his career — and even became recognised as a right-back as age crept up on him.

In this context, top scoring at the Nations Cup, at 34, is an almighty feat, even if Nsue did miss a decisive penalty against Guinea in the round of 16 that would have taken Equatorial Guinea through to the quarters.

Nonetheless, he ended the AFCON’s 16-year wait for a hat-trick when he bagged a treble in the thumping of Guinea-Bissau on Jan. 18 and then netted a brace in the historic 4-0 thumping of Ivory Coast.

This tournament was the career highlight for the ex-Spain under-21 international.

By no means a smooth campaign for Haller, but his contributions in the biggest of fixtures ensured his spot in this side.

Haller didn’t feature in the group stage as he recovered from an ankle injury sustained in December, and, in truth, he looked rusty when he did take to the field vs. Senegal and Mali.

However, he truly stepped up in the semifinals — with his acrobatic goal sseing the Ivorians past Congo DR — and then in the final, with his close-range finish ensuring scenes of jubilation in Epimbé.

Substitutes: Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria), Arthur Masuaku (Congo DR), Gelson Dala (Angola), Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt), Khuliso Mudau (South Africa), Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast), Jean-Michael Seri (Ivory Coast), Mothobi Mvala (South Africa).