AFCON 2015 FINALS:
Sun, 8th February 2015: Ivory Coast Vs Ghana - Estadio de Bata
There is nothing that is as captivating as winning a cup final.
When Ivory Coast takes on Ghana in the finals of the 2015 Nations cup at the Estadio De Bata in Equatorial Guinea, two sets of brothers will be aiming to make history.
After Captaining the Black Stars team to glory in Senegal, Abedi Pele, will be in the stands eagerly awaiting two of his sons restore the family pride as they line up against the Elephants.
Andre and Jordan Ayew, who both scored in their side's 3-0 semi-final win against the hosts Equatorial Guinea, will meet another pair of brothers in Ivorian duo Kolo and Yaya Toure.
The Ayew brothers:
Jordan and Andre are known for their hard work, and their selflessness when on international duty has been on notable display recently.
"When I come to the Black Stars, it is all about the team. When I am in Europe with my club, then my personal aspect matters, but with the national team, it is only the squad that matters,” Jordan is quoted by the media.
Andre captained the Black Stars against the hosts in the absence of Asamoah Gyan thinks the final will be open.
Both teams have a chance of winning the match, but a final is a final and we will be ready. We will do everything in our power to bring the trophy. There is no word to describe how much we want to win the trophy. People are questioning whether we are ready to lift the trophy again after so many years, but if we were not ready, we would not have beaten Equatorial Guinea in the semi-finals. We are ready.” Andre said.
The Toure brothers
Four time African footballer of the year, Yaya and his brother Kolo will be on the Ivorian side to inspire the team to glory.
Yaya, who turns out for Manchester City struggled in the early stages but he has steadily picked momentum as the tourney grew older.
His cracker against DR Congo will stand as one of the goals of the event.
Yaya took over the leadership mantle from the legendary Didier Drogba, who has since retired.
“Being captain gives me great pride and I need to lead the players. We are here because we want to win the tournament and show people that we are a great country. We have a new generation of players and it is my role to lead these players. I hope to be able to do that in the final,” he said.
Côte d'Ivoire coach Herve Renard has always thrown his weight behind the gangly midfielder, shielding him off undue criticism;
I hear a lot of people saying things about Yaya Toure in Africa, but he's a big player. He showed that to all the people in the semi-final, that suddenly he can change matches. It was an amazing goal.
Both brothers have already been on the losing side in two Africa Cup of Nations finals and are eager to put that disappointment behind them.
33 year old Kolo, who is two years older than his brother, has already announced his plans to retire from the national team at the end of the tournament.
It will be great to end with a victory. We have been waiting for too long and we want to make sure that we can bring the trophy back to Abidjan this time around.
Irrespective of who wins Sunday's final in the Estadio de Bata, the Ayews or Toures will not be the first brothers to have won the showpiece event of African football. Come Sunday evening, the list will be joined by another set of brothers, this time crowned in Equatorial Guinea.
It remains to be seen whether it is the Ayews or the Toures.
Your Guess is as good as mine.
Quick Facts:
- Last Time Ivory Coast and Ghana met in the finals was in 1992 and it took 120 and 24 penalties to separate the 2 sides.
- The Ethiopian Vassalo brothers, Italo and Luciano, won the 1962 Title with the latter captaining the team and the former scoring one of the goals that won the day for the Walias.
- François Omam-Biyik and Andre Kana-Biyik won with the Indomitable Lions in 1988.
- The Katongo brothers Felix and Christopher were part of the 2012 Zambian winning side.