AFCON 2015 Final: Score and Twitter Reaction for Ivory Coast vs. Ghana

Ivory Coast were crowned champions of African football Sunday, as they beat Ghana 9-8 in a dramatic penalty shootout after a goalless 120 minutes in the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. 

The triumph at the Estadio de Bata in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, represents the second time the Elephants have won this coveted title and ends a 23-year wait for silverware.

ESPN FC confirmed the result:

Here's a look at the winning moment:

As is often the case in final matches, neither side wanted to surrender any early initiative to their opponents, and the result was an attritional first period. Ghana had the better of what was a very cagey opening 45 minutes, as they rattled the woodwork twice before half-time. 

First up to sprinkle some stardust on a moribund affair was Christian Atsu—who enjoyed a wonderful tournament—as he crashed a delicious left-foot strike off the post in the 29th minute.

John Bennett of the BBC hailed the influence of the capricious winger, who has struggled for form and fitness on loan at Everton from Chelsea:

Andre Ayew followed suit not long after. He sent in a dangerous cross-shot from the left flank with half-time looming, but nobody was able to get a touch on it before the ball ricocheted off Boubacar Barry’s post and out for a goal-kick.

Aside from those isolated incidents, there wasn’t much in terms of goalmouth action as both goalkeepers were afforded a comfortable opening 45 minutes. That’s not something that could be said of Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso, however, who was on the end of a very rash tackle from Serey Die, per MailOnline Sport:

Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

Sadly, the second half continued in much of the same arduous vein. Neither side boasted any kind of incision, and as Oluwashina Okeleji of the BBC noted, for Ivory Coast, this kind of final is nothing new:

The frustrations seemed to be getting to the players too, as John Boye appeared to throw a headbutt on Eric Bailly. Naturally, both men accentuated the contact and sagged to the turf, but the referee didn't see the incident.

Given Die's first-half horror challenge and Boye's wandering forehead, both sides were lucky to have 11 men intact. Here's a look at the latter incident, via 101 Great Goals:

The Black Stars looked the most likely to emerge victorious as the match ambled toward extra time, but in truth, the game lacked any kind of rhythm. Cheap fouls and spoiling tactics punctured the action, meaning the classier players on show had a restricted stage to showcase their polished talents.

Ivory Coast spurned a late chance to win it, but regulation time passed without a goal.

As OptaJoe noted, the prospect of a penalty shootout was looming large:

Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

The tempo of the game had been obliterated in the latter stages of the match, and that pattern continued as extra time got underway. The players were noticeably weary after exerting so much energy in humid conditions, and as the match rolled on, the prospect of a breakthrough looked increasingly unlikely as the extra 30 minutes passed without incident.

Wakaso slotted the first penalty in the shootout for Ghana, and they seized the initiative when Wilfried Bony smashed his kick off the crossbar. Ayew put the Black Stars 2-0 up, and when Tallo Gadji missed his kick, the Elephants looked to be poised for another heartbreaking loss on penalties.

The pressure was too much for some to handle, as 101 Great Goals documented:

But Afriyie Acquah and Frank Acheampong both missed their next kicks for Ghana, while Serge Aurier and Seydou Doumbia both scored for Ivory Coast, levelling it up at 2-2. Remarkably, the next 12 penalties were scored before Barry saved from Black Stars 'keeper Razak Brimah and then slotted the winning penalty himself.

For Ivory Coast, this is a title that’s long overdue. So often in recent years, their supporters have had to endure underwhelming displays in the latter stages of the competition, and although it was hard work for them to get here, getting over the line represents a major step forward.

Ghana will be left to reflect on the crushing disappointment of final-day defeat. Sadly for the Black Stars, once again they were unable to clear that final hurdle and lift the trophy. It’s a longstanding mental issue that they’ll be hoping to address again in earnest at the 2017 tournament.

Grades

Yaya Toure: C

The Manchester City man is typically an irrepressible influence at the heart of the Ivory Coast midfield, but he struggled to make much of an impact during the 120 minutes. He was neat and tidy with the ball at his feet but didn't make any of his typical surging forays into dangerous areas. 

Serge Aurier: B

The Paris Saint-Germain star was one of the brightest sparks in an otherwise dull affair. He was an effervescent outlet for the Elephants on the right flank, and on the rare occasions the Elephants did cause problems for their opponents, it was because of his industry.

Christian Atsu: B

It was another fine game for Atsu in a tournament in which he has shone. Had his first-half effort gone in, it would have been the goal of the competition. But even after such bad luck, he continued to provide a dangerous outlet for the Black Stars. He'll be hoping to carry this form into the Premier League, where he has struggled to make much of an impact as of yet.

Player Ratings

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Boubacar Barry	6.9
Serge Aurier	8.0
Siaka Tiene	7.0
Kolo Toure	8.1
Eric Bailly	8.8
Wilfried Kanon	7.5
Serey Die	7.4
Max Gradel	6.3
Yaya Toure	7.5
Wilfried Bony	7.2
Gervinho	6.4
Seydou Doumbia (for Gradel, 67')	6.5
Salomon Kalou (for Tiene 116')	6.5
Junior Tallo (for Gervinho 120')	5.5

Post-Match Reaction

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Razak Brimah	5.2
Harrison Afful	7.9
Baba Rahman	7.8
Jonathan Mensah	8.0
John Boye	8.4
Mubarak Wakaso	7.2
Afriyie Acquah	7.8
Andre Ayew	7.6
Christian Atsu	7.5
Asamoah Gyan	6.4
Kwesi Appiah	6.4
Jordan Ayew (for Appiah 99')	7.1
Frank Acheampong (for Atsu 116')	5.5
Emmanuel Badu (for Gyan 120')	6.5