Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana Battle For Holy Grail

THEY have both been involved in some of the best matches of the on-going African Nations Cup, which ends today in Bata. Yet, spectators believe that this encounter involving Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana has all the ingredients to showcase the positive side of the African game after Thursday’s show of shame by hosts, Equatorial Guinea.

  It is a battle of two West African teams that have waited for more than 20 years to add the cup to their trophy chest. Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have come very close to ending their wait on several occasions, but they have not managed to live up to the expectations of their fans. And today, the wait will end for one of them.

  The Elephants defeated DR Congo 3-1 in their semifinal on Wednesday night to secure a place in the final for the third time in the last nine years and will hope to add to the one continental trophy they claimed back in 1992. The 1992 win was against Ghana, who they beat in Dakar, Senegal via a marathon penalty shoot out.

  Since then, the Ivoirians, who were beaten finalists in both the 2006 and 2012 by Egypt and Zambia respectively, have struggled to reach such heights without success. 

  Both sides have had teams described as ‘the Golden Generation,’ but none have mustered that extra needed to win Africa’s most coveted trophy. But Cote d’Ivoire’s Gervinho, who is one of the stand out stars of his side, is hopeful that this year they will go all the way and write their names into history for the right reason.

   “We are going to enjoy the moment, it has been a long way for us. We’ll get back to work. This time we must win the final,” he said after Wednesday’s defeat of Congo.

 Gervinho is one of the stars of the current squad aiming to succeed where the likes of Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue, Arouna Kone and Didier Zokora failed. This is one of the greatest generations of talent any African nation has ever produced – and yet, despite three World Cup qualifications, it remains unfulfilled.

  In 2006, Cote d’Ivoire reached the final but was beaten by the host, Egypt, on penalties. Two years later, Cote d’Ivoire got to the semifinal. Again it met Egypt and this time it was hammered, losing 4-1. Kolo Toure, having picked up a groin injury on the opening game, returned to the side for that game, palpably before he was ready, and was destroyed by Amr Zaki. Toure is one of the solid rocks on which the current team is built. Two years after that, Cote d’Ivoire looked to have scored an 89th-minute winner in its quarterfinal against Algeria. But then Madjid Bougherra headed an equalizer in injury-time and Hameur Bouazza grabbed a winner early in extra time. Stunned, Cote d’Ivoire couldn’t respond.

  Cote d’Ivoire was favourite again in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in 2012. Stung by past errors, the Elephants adopted a cautious approach, waiting for opponents to make errors and then pouncing. As in 1992, it didn’t concede a goal in the whole tournament but, in the final, when Zambia conceded a penalty with 20 minutes remaining, Drogba lashed over the bar. Unlike 1992, Cote d’Ivoire then lost on penalties. The team was dumped out of the competition in the quarterfinals by Nigeria in 2013.

  Tomorrow, the team will meet another side desirous of ending their 33 years wait for the trophy. The Ghanaians also want to avenge the 1992 defeat by Cote d’Ivoire.

Ghana moved a step closer to ending their wait for the fifth crown when they decimated Equatorial Guinea in an ill-tempered second semifinal on Thursday, winning 3-0 in Malabo.

  Although the Ivoirians are the clear favourites in tomorrow’s game, one of Ghana’s heroes on Thursday, Andre Ayew, says the Black Stars will have no fear of coming up against the Elephants. 

  “Nobody is scared of nobody,” said Ayew. “I think it is a big game where there will be big players and it is going to be tough for everyone. So I believe that the better side on that day will take it.”

  The teams have met in 30 official international matches. The Black Stars have claimed 12 wins, one more than the Elephants’ 11, while seven encounters have been drawn. 

  The Olympique Marseille man was in the Ghana squad that lost the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals against Egypt. But he says there is no chance of a second final loss.  “We will do everything, we will do what we can and hopefully we will make history,” he said.