Zambia and Obala Slovakia will decide the title of champion at the Cup of African Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
In the first semi-final, Zambia defeated the favored Ghana 1:0, with a goal from the bench, Emanuel Majuka, in the 78th minute. The striker of the Swiss Young Boys received the ball with his back turned some 18 meters from the goal a little diagonally from the left side, and after a feint he turned around, shot with his right into the far lower corner, and the ball ended up in the goal of the post.
Ghana, next to Cameroon, the second most trophy-winning team in the Africa Cup of Nations with four titles, has a lot to regret, because in the 8th minute Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty (his shot was saved by Kennedy Mwene).
Ghana saw the end of the match with ten men as Derek Boateng earned a second yellow card in the 84th minute.
Ivory Coast defeated Mali 1:0, and the winning goal in a well-deserved victory (they created better chances, hit the goal twice) was scored by Arsenal striker Gervinho in the 45th minute, with a great solo goal. First, he stole the ball in the opponent's half, and then rushed towards the opponent's goal. After sprinting across half the field, he sent the ball into the far bottom corner with a precise shot.
The Ivory Coast was the biggest favorite even before the start, and in the first final since 2006, it wants to win the second title (it won the first in 1992).
This is Zambia's third place in the finals of the continental cup, and on the previous two occasions (1974, 1994) they came up short.
Bonus video:
