After a nerve wracking 120 minutes, penalty shootouts was needed to break the deadlock in the AFCON finals; and as is quite customary for Ghana, they lost to Cote d’Ivoire the honour of lifting the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
The very definition of déjà vu, the 9-8 loss mirrored in more ways than one, that from 1992 when Ghana lost on penalties to Ivory Coast in another Nations Cup final.
An uneventful 120 minutes of regulation time produced little chances, as both sides were at their cautious best. The game itself took a while to settle down, as nerves and an overly defensive approach stifled the creative football both sides have shown on their trek to the final.
Cote d’Ivoire started the stronger of the two, but Ghana grew into the game as the half wore on. Midway through the half, Atsu almost handed Ghana the lead; but his shot from the edge of the box struck the upright with Boubacar Barry beaten.
Dede went closer a few minutes later, finding himself in the box after Rahman’s pinpoint pass. His shot also struck the bar, the angle too tight for him to get the shot on target.