Ghana tackles Ivory Coast in AFCON final

When thinking of powerhouses in African football, Ivory Coast and Ghana are near the top of that list. Both countries have produced players that are stars for their clubs in Europe and both have featured in the previous three World Cups.Ghana has won four Africa Cup of Nations titles, but the last of those championships […]

When thinking of powerhouses in African football, Ivory Coast and Ghana are near the top of that list. Both countries have produced players that are stars for their clubs in Europe and both have featured in the previous three World Cups.
Ghana has won four Africa Cup of Nations titles, but the last of those championships came in 1982. Ivory Coast has won the tournament once before in 1992, when they defeated Ghana in the finals.
Ivory Coast reaches the finals after cruising to a 3-1 win over surprise semifinalist DR Congo, while Ghana handed host nation Equatorial Guinea a 3-0 loss in their final four matchup.
Ghana’s semifinal match was marred by crowd violence, which caused a delay of over 30 minutes before play could be resumed. Despite all the events, players looked in good spirits after the match and will be eager to set their focus on the finals.

Players to watch:
Ivory Coast: Gervinho
The Roma striker was shown a red card in Ivory Coast’s opening match, and was suspended for the final two games of the group stage. In his two matches back, the former Arsenal man has scored twice. Gervinho is quick and crafty, and will surely be looking to avenge his missed penalty kick in the 2012 AFCON finals, which Ivory Coast lost to Zambia.

Ghana: Asamoah Gyan
The Black Stars’ captain and all-time leading goalscorer is already one of the greatest African players ever. He has scored at three World Cups and seemingly always finds that clutch goal for his side. Gyan rested an injury during the semifinal match, but expect the skipper to be in full force for the finals.