Ivory Coast and Ghana will meet today, Sunday, evening for what promises to be an epic battle to end the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
The meeting of the two West African giants will see one of them end a lengthy wait to win their first AFCON title in the 21st century.
It has been 23 years since the Elephants claimed their first and only Nations Cup trophy in 1992 while the Black Stars have waited a whole decade and more: the most recent of their four continental triumphs arrived in 1982.
While Ghana will be appearing in their ninth AFCON final, it will be Ivory Coast’s fourth overall and a third in the last nine years.
Both teams have fallen at the final hurdle in recent years: The Elephants have tasted nothing but bitter disappointment in their last two finals, losing on penalties to Egypt in 2006 and Zambia in 2012 while Ghana were beaten 1-0 by the Pharaohs in the 2010 final.
One thing neutrals will be hoping for is Ivory Coast breaking their trend of goalless draws: all three previous finals involving the Elephants have gone 120 minutes without a goal being scored either way.
Included in that is the 1992 final when Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 11-10 on penalties in Senegal, the West Africa duo’s only previous final meeting.
Below are details of the teams’ AFCON final appearances:
Ivory Coast’s AFCON finals:
P W D L GF GA
3 0 3* 0 0 0
The three draws went to penalties; Ivory Coast won the first shootout and lost the other two
26 January 1992
Stade de l’Amitie, Dakar, Senegal
Ivory Coast 0
Ghana 0 – After extra time, Ivory Coast won 11-10 on penalties
10 February 2006
Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt
Egypt 0
Ivory Coast 0 – After extra time, Egypt won 4-2 on penalties
12 February 2012
Stade d’Angondje, Libreville, Gabon
Zambia 0
Ivory Coast 0 – After extra time, Zambia won 8-7 on penalties
Ghana’s AFCON finals:
P W D L GF GA
8 3 2* 3 9 6
Both draws went to penalties; Ghana won one shootout and lost the other
1 December 1963
Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana
Ghana 3 (Aggrey-Fynn 62’ pen, Acquah 72’ 82’)
Sudan 0
21 November 1965
Stade Chedli Zouiten, Tunis, Tunisia
Ghana 3 (Odoi 37’ 96’, Kofi 79’)
Tunisia 2 (Chetali 47’, Chaibi 67’) – After extra time
21 January 1968
Haile Selassie Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
DR Congo 1 (Kalala Mukendi 66’)
Ghana 0
16 February 1970
Municipal Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan
Sudan 1 (Hasabu El-Sagheer 12’)
Ghana 0
16 March 1978
Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana
Ghana 2 (Afriyie 38’ 64’)
Uganda 0
19 March 1982
11 June Stadium, Tripoli, Libya
Ghana 1 (Alhassan 35’)
Libya 1 (Al-Beshari 70’) – After extra time, Ghana won 7-6 on penalties
26 January 1992
Stade de l’Amitie, Dakar, Senegal
Ivory Coast 0
Ghana 0 – After extra time, Ivory Coast won 11-10 on penalties
31 January 2010
Estadio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola
Ghana 0
Egypt 1 (Gedo 85’)
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