Chris Maduewesi
Member
The Elephants of Ivory Coast on Sunday ended a 23-year wait to win the 2015 African Nations Cup title in Equatorial Guinea, beating Ghana 9-8 after penalty shootout.
Just like in 1992 when these two teams met in the final of the Nations Cup in Senegal, penalties were needed on the night before Ivory Coast saw off Ghana in a pulsating encounter.
It wasn't the sort of spectacle expected from a final match, especially, from the two teams presumed to be the best on the continent.
At some point it was very drab and boring with no incisiveness to show the height of expectation needed in a final.
The big-game players seemed to have tuned off when their prowess was needed more, failing to ignite the form they are well capable of.
Yaya Toure, Gervinho, and even Wilfried Bony all looked a yard off pace, and it was glaring that Asamoah Gyan wasn't fully recovered for the match.
Although both set of defences rose to the occasion, giving 100% to protect their teams, however, it could be as result of lack of invention from both sides.
Both teams tried their best in the match and gave it a real go in their quest to be crowned the new kings of the continent.
One of the contentious issues in the game was when Serey Die stamped Ghanaian's Mubarak Wakaso, but went unpunished without being sent off.
With the regulation time ending in a disappointing 0-0 draw, both teams had to settle for penalties which was filled with lots of intrigues and at the same time pulsating.
The final was the fourth Afcon finals involving Cote d 'Ivoire which have all ended 0-0 and going on to penalties. The last two penalties came against Egypt in 2006, then Zambia in 2012 and they lost both.
Cote d'Ivoire's goalkeeper Boubacar Barry undoubtely was the hero for the Elephants, as he made saves that brought his side back in contention when they were trailing 2-0 in the shootout.
And he converted the crucial last kick which won the game for his team, ending the toga of Ivory Coast's "underachieving golden generation".
Herve Renard has now won the Afcon with two countries- Zambia in 2012 and Cote d'Ivoire in 2015, becoming the first coach to do so. Incidentally his first triumph was against Ivory Coast, and he has now led them to the title.
Ghana will be utterly disappointed as was evident in the way Andre Ayew wept after the match, but Avram Grant would take solace in the fact that on his first attempt in Africa he got to the final.
It might not have gone the way the Black Stars would have hoped for, but the race for the 2017 Nations Cup tournament starts now.
Photo Credit: @CAF_Online
Just like in 1992 when these two teams met in the final of the Nations Cup in Senegal, penalties were needed on the night before Ivory Coast saw off Ghana in a pulsating encounter.
It wasn't the sort of spectacle expected from a final match, especially, from the two teams presumed to be the best on the continent.
At some point it was very drab and boring with no incisiveness to show the height of expectation needed in a final.
The big-game players seemed to have tuned off when their prowess was needed more, failing to ignite the form they are well capable of.
Yaya Toure, Gervinho, and even Wilfried Bony all looked a yard off pace, and it was glaring that Asamoah Gyan wasn't fully recovered for the match.
Although both set of defences rose to the occasion, giving 100% to protect their teams, however, it could be as result of lack of invention from both sides.
Both teams tried their best in the match and gave it a real go in their quest to be crowned the new kings of the continent.
One of the contentious issues in the game was when Serey Die stamped Ghanaian's Mubarak Wakaso, but went unpunished without being sent off.
With the regulation time ending in a disappointing 0-0 draw, both teams had to settle for penalties which was filled with lots of intrigues and at the same time pulsating.
The final was the fourth Afcon finals involving Cote d 'Ivoire which have all ended 0-0 and going on to penalties. The last two penalties came against Egypt in 2006, then Zambia in 2012 and they lost both.
Cote d'Ivoire's goalkeeper Boubacar Barry undoubtely was the hero for the Elephants, as he made saves that brought his side back in contention when they were trailing 2-0 in the shootout.
And he converted the crucial last kick which won the game for his team, ending the toga of Ivory Coast's "underachieving golden generation".
Herve Renard has now won the Afcon with two countries- Zambia in 2012 and Cote d'Ivoire in 2015, becoming the first coach to do so. Incidentally his first triumph was against Ivory Coast, and he has now led them to the title.
Ghana will be utterly disappointed as was evident in the way Andre Ayew wept after the match, but Avram Grant would take solace in the fact that on his first attempt in Africa he got to the final.
It might not have gone the way the Black Stars would have hoped for, but the race for the 2017 Nations Cup tournament starts now.
Photo Credit: @CAF_Online
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