AFCON 2015 Final Preview: Ghana versus Ivory Coast
By Nii Ayitey Tetteh
After 3 weeks and 31 matches, West African neighbours, Ghana and Ivory Coast, on February 8, 19:00 GMT, would meet in a final act at the Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea, to determine who wins AFCON 2015. The match would be a repeat of the 1992 final which Ivory Coast won 11-10 on penalties after a barren 120 minutes.
Ivory Coast hasn’t won the tourney since, though the Elephants contested the 2006 and 2012 finals, losing on penalties to Egypt and Zambia respectively. Ghana’s drought stretches further back to 1982, when the Black Stars last lifted the trophy, only coming close again in 2010, when a young Ghana team lost 1-0 to Egypt in the final.
Now in 2015, the two African giants, playing the best football at the tourney, would relish the opportunity to quench the trophy thirst of their fans; a neutral’s delight you may call it. Indeed, it is the dream final CAF would have ordered too, in the hope that an exciting final would undo the bad press brought about by controversial refereeing decisions and crowd trouble.
And while CAF would be focused on the bigger picture, Ghana and Ivory Coast would narrow their focus on the trophy, hoping to navigate the final leg of what has been an arduous journey.
Similar Paths
For the better part of the last decade, Ghana and Ivory Coast used to be serial favourites going into every AFCON, but for this edition, they weren’t. Ivory Coast struggled to qualify, conceding 11 goals and even losing 4-3 at home to DR Congo.
The team it seemed then was struggling post the Didier Drogba and Didier Zokora era; both players retired after a disappointing 2014 World Cup in Brazil. At that same tournament, Ghana brought shame upon herself as players rebelled in the middle of the tournament over unpaid $100,000 appearance fees.
That embarrassment and betrayal caused public disaffection and probably was the last straw for a nation that had stood behind a team that had for many years, flattered to deceive. Apathy hit the roof and the Black Stars hit ground zero.
So, when both nations experienced slow starts; Ghana losing 2-1 to Senegal and Ivory Coast drawing 1-1 with both Guinea and Mali, not even the savviest pundit would have called a final between both nations. Ivory Coast went on to beat Cameroun 1-0, Algeria 3-1 and DR Congo 3-1 to reach the final.
Ghana recovered from the opening day defeat and won 4 games in a row, beating Algeria 1-0, and South Africa 2-1, before dispatching Guinea and Equatorial Guinea by 3-0 margins to book a place in the final.
That both nations have developed resilience and peaked at the right time is clear, what is not, is who would finally shed of the “nearly men” tag. It would all come down to the business on the field and more perhaps.
Key battles
The outcome of this final would most likely be decided by that rare moment of magic because it is difficult to separate the two teams. Ivory Coast coach, Hervé Renard who led Zambia to the title in 2012 has changed the style of this current side. Gone is the gung ho attacking style, replaced with more pragmatism.
Renard has shuffled between a 3 man defense led by Kolo Toure and a 5 man defense, where Serge Aurier and Saka Tiene, when they aren’t operating as wing backs in a 3-5-2 formation, support kolo and youngsters Bertrand Bailly and Wilfried Kanon. Ivory Coast primarily draws the opposition in and hit them on the counter using the wings where Serge Aurier, Max Gradel and Gervinho have found loads of joy.
This Ivorian team isn’t as flamboyant as the ones of recent past, but they have been ruthlessly efficient. That is clearly evident as the Elephants possess the best shot conversion rate in the tournament (22%).
Ghana on the other hand, quickly ditched the 3-5-2 formation used versus Senegal and employed a 4-4-2 that has optimized the strengths of the squad. Avram Grant, appointed less than 2 months to the AFCON, should take credit for rewarding performance and offering opportunities to players like Afriyie Acquah and Mubarak Wakaso, who replaced regulars Rabiu Mohammed and Emannuel Agyemeng-Badu, and have ensured that Ghana’s midfield remains water tight, leaving Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew to do the scoring.
Ghana’s defense has also been well organized. Jonathan Mensah, Baba Rahman and John Boye have ensured that Ghana has faced only 6 shots on target the entire tournament, a crucial attribute that has protected goalie Razak Brimah, who has had trouble dealing with aerial balls. But then again, Ghana’s defense hasn’t dealt with the likes of Wilfried Bony, Serge Aurier and of course Yaya Toure, who though may have had a quiet tournament, may just spark into life on the big occasion.
Ivory Coast’s defense on the other hand, has faced 17 shots and this is where Ghana may fancy their chances, especially if Captain Asamoah Gyan returns from a hip injury sustained versus Guinea.
It’s definitely a tough call predicting who will win this one, but one thing is assured; goals. It would then be a matter of who outscores who, or yet still, it may be decided by the colour of shirts.
Grant has stuck to a blue polo shirt he wore when Ghana beat Algeria, while Renard has stuck to a white shirt, similar to what he wore in 2012. When Gambian referee Bakary Papa Gassama blows the final whistle, one of the two teams would have ended a long trophy drought; would it be Ivory Coast for the second time or Ghana, a fifth time (the Penta)? Zoblazo or Azonto? Blue or white? The answer is a foot or two away from your TV.
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