Contents Champions of Africa!

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3 Editorial Wow! What a tournament! The Africa Cup of Nations Equatorial Guinea 2015 has come and gone, and what a tournament it was! Despite lack of goals, we spent the last three weeks glued to our small screens, watching Africa s finest grace the pitch. We started to witness Africa s finest come to the AFCON party during the knockout stages as the four time African Player of the Year Yaya Toure combined with new Manchester City Teammate Wilfred Bony and Gervihno to send Cote D Voire to their first AFCON glory in 23 years. The hosts Equatorial Guinea made history, reaching the semifinals for the first time in their history. Southern African countries were eliminated in the first round as the West Africans continue to dominate the Nations Cup. Pre-tournament favourites Algeria were knocked out of the tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Cote D Ivoire, while Cameroon were sent packing in the first round. -Johannes Masiteng, Editor PHOTOS: afcononline.com Contents Champions of Africa! Wrap-Up: Full review analysis 4 A look at the Cote D Voire s Road to Africa Cup of Nations glory. 8 Wrapping up the 30th Africa Cup of Nations, from the surprises to the disappointments. Gallery: Afcon 2015 in Pictures Bafana: What really happened? 9 Pictures from the Africa Cup of Nations A look at the main reasons for Bafana Bafana s early exit in the Nations Cup AFCON 2015: The Review 3

4 Champions of Africa! VICTORY AT LAST! Cote D Ivoire players celebrate after winning the Nations Cup for the first time in 23 years Champions of Africa! 4 AFCON 2015: The Review

5 Herve Renard guided Cote D Ivoire to their first Africa Cup of Nations success since The truimph broke the duck for the Elephants golden generation who failed to clinch the title in 2006 and Champions of Africa! Ivory Coast won their first Africa Cup of Nations in 23 years after beating Ghana 9-8 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. This is the second Africa Cup of Nations success for Ivory Coast, having won it in 1992 when they also played Ghana and overcame them on penalties after a goalless draw. The truimph means that, after a disappointing 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, the Ivorian Elephants golden generation are finally successful in a major tournament. This also means that it is a second AFCON success for Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard who led Zambia to the Nations Cup glory three years ago. Renard is now the first mentor to win the tournament with two different countries. The Frenchman dedicated the truimph to the Ivorians. Renard said: We dedicate this win to the Ivorian People. Ivory Coast is more delighted today and that s the most important thing. I am happy for the Ivorians who have been waiting for this for 23 years. Ivory Coast skipper Yaya Toure described the Nations Cup 2015 victory as unbelievabe. When you win with your team it s quite amazing, but when you win with your country it s unbelievable, said the four time African Player of the Year. I ve been waiting tor so many years now. I ve been dreaming about this. It s difficult right now to describe the feeling as a captain, it s something special, said the ecstatic and relieved Toure after the dramatic penalty shoot-out. At club level, Toure has helped Manchester City win two English Premier League titles in the last four seasons. However, the 31 year old midfielder could not do the same for his country until the AFCON Yaya missed out on the continental glory when Cote D Ivoire were defeated on penalties in 2006 and 2012 and their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign was disappointing. The Ivorians started off their 2015 Nations Cup with two 1-all draws agaisnt Mali and Guinea. The Elephants booked themselves a place in the quarterfinals after beating Cameroon 1-0 in their last group stages encounter. The first round was not good for the Ivorian stars Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Wilfred Bony. The trio came to the AFCON party in the quarterfinals as the new Manchester City striker Bony scored twice to help Ivory Coast overcome Algeira 2-1. Yaya was again on target in the semifinals as the Elephants trampled DR Congo 3-0. The final against Ghana was decided on penalties as neither side could not break the deadlock.d MILESTONE! Cote D Ivoire coach Herve Renard is the first to win AFCON with two different nations. PHOTOS: afcononline.com AFCON 2015: The Review 5

6 Champions of Africa! 20 January 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Cote D Ivoire 0 (Yattara 36 ) Guinea 1 (Doumbia 35 ) The Africa Cup of Nations 2015 campaign did not start well for the Ivorians. The first match was even in the first period, with both sides having equal scoring opportunities. It was, however, Guinea who broke the dealock through Mohammed Yattara in the 36th minute. Cote D Ivoire tried to level matters with an attempt from Bony whose shot was tipped over for a corner and Toure whose strike from the edge of the box went wide of goal. It was the substitute Doumbia who rescued a point for 10 men Cote D Ivoire after Gervihno was sent off. 24 February 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Cote D Ivoire 0 (Gradel 86 ) Mali 1 (Sako 7 ) The second match saw the Ivorians trail by a goal as early as the seventh minute as Sako s volley beat the Elephants goalkeeper. The best chance for Cote D Ivoire came in the 33rd minute when Kolo Toure s header was tipped over the bar by Diakite. The Ivorians continued to search for the equaliser and this time it was Wilfred Bony who came close as his header went over the bar. Cote D Ivoire had to wait until the 86th minute for the equaliser when Max Gradel came on as a substitute and levelled matters with a fine first time shot into the right corner. 28 January 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Cote D Ivoire 1 (Gradel 35 ) Cameroon 0 It was do or die in the final Group D matches as all nations in the group had an equal chance of progressing to the next round or being eliminated in the first round. Former Leeds United man Max Gradel put the Ivorians ahead in the 35th minute. Having won possession in the left wing, Gradel unleashed a vicious shot which went past Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph Ondoa. The Elephants could have sealed the game earlier as Wilfred Bony and Serve Aurier fluffed their chances before the break. Cote D Ivoire held on to their lead for their place in the quarter finals. Wilfred Bony battles for the ball with Cameroon s Chedjou. Quarterfinal, 1 February 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Gervinho celebrates after scoring the winner against Algeria in the Quarterfinals. Cote D Ivoire 3 (Bony 26, 68 Gervihno 90 ) Algeria 1 (Soudani 50 ) The first half saw Algeria dominating ball possession and their best chance came in the 20th minute when Riyad Mahrez s shot went over from 6 yards. It was the Ivorians who found the opening goal through Wilfred Bony in the 26th minute. Algeria would, however, level matters shortly after the break through Hillel Soudani after poor defending. Bony restored the Ivorians lead in the 68th minute with a fine header and Gervihno sealed the victory in stoppage time. 6 AFCON 2015: The Review

7 Champions of Africa! GOAL! Gervinho doubles the Elephants lead against DR Congo. semi-final, 6 February 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo DR Congo 1 (Mbokani 23 ) Cote D Ivoire DR Congo looked as the side to score the first goal in the opening ten minutes when Gbohouo parried away a Bokila shot. It was the Elephants who opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Yaya Toure s stunning volley. The lead was cancelled out almost immediately when Mbokani 3 (Y Toure 20, Gervihno 41, Kanono 67 ) converted from the penalty spot. Gervihno restored the Ivorians lead in the 41st minute with a clinical finish. Moments later, the Roma man s header hit the crossbar. Cote D voire continued to dominate the match and added a 3rd goal in the 67th minute through Wilfred Kanon. CHAMPIONS! Cote D Ivoire players celebrate with their mentor after AFCON 2015 success. Final, 8 February 2015 Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Ghana 0 Cote D Ivoire 0 After extra time, Cote D Ivoire won 9-8 on penalties. Cote D Ivoire looked like the side to open the scoring as they were denied early on, with Yaya Toure s free kick saved by Braimah and Gradel shooting wide of Razak s goal. Ghana s best scoring opportunity came in the 25th minute when their attempt at goal struck the upright. The second half saw both sides struggling to create scoring chances and it ended goalless. The extra half an hour was the same as the rest of the match as it did not produce scoring opportunities, forcing the match to be decided on penalty shoot-out. On the penalty shoot-out, it was the Elephants who were victorious as Boubacar Barry scored the winning penalty PHOTOS: afcononline.com AFCON 2015: The Review 7

8 Wrap Up Glory and shame Africa Cup of Nations 2015 hosts Equatorial Guinea reached the semifinals for the first in their history. However, their heroics were overshadowed by the crowd problems. The 2015 Africa Cup of Nattions is unarguably Equatorial Guinea s best ever Nations Cup performance. The Equaguineans reached the last four of the tournament on their second appearance in the Afrca s premier national team competition. It is also safe to say that Equatorial Guinea are the surprises of the showpiece, having had to prepare late for the tounament and having replaced their mentor Andoni Goikoetxea with Estaden Becker just a couple of weeks before the tournament started. In addition, Equatoria Guinea reached the semifinals without a loss and having conceded only three goals in their four games leading to the last four. Equatorial Guinea s first two AFCON 2015 fixtures resulted in two stalemates against Congo (1-1) and Gabon (1-1). The Nzalang Nacional then beat Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang s Gabon 2-0 to book a place in the quarterfinals. Javier Balboa and substitute Edu Salvador were on target as they marched in the quarterfinals to play Tunisia. Estaben Becker s men were lucky to be awarded a 8 controversial penalty in the 90th minute. Javier Balboa converted with ease and sent the match to extra time. Balboa scored the winning goal for the Nzalang Nacional with a sublime free kick in the extra time, sending his side to the last four for the first time in their history. In the semifinals, Equatorial Guinea could not do anything as they went to the half time break trailing by 2 goals against runner- MAKING HISTORY! Javier Balboa celebrates with teammates after netting twice to send Nzalang Nacional to the semifinals. ups Ghana. The second period of the match match saw Ghana continue their dominance over the hosts and Andre Ayew scored the third goal in the 75th minute. The home fans started throwing missiles on Ghana fans, resulting in a prolonged stoppage. The hosts finished fourth in the AFCON 2015 as they lost the third place play-off match 4-2 against DR Congo, their best finish thus far in the tournament. Defeat too hard to accept... After beating Tunisia 2-1 to advance to the semifinals four days earlier, the Nzalang fans were ecstatic as they witnessed their national team make it to the AFCON semifinals for the first time. In the semifinals, it seemed like defeat was too hard to accept for the home fans as they started throwing missiles on Ghana s supporters. This led to an over 30 minute stoppage in play as the police officials attempted to control the crowd. The night would have been a night to remeber for the home fans should their team progressed to the finals. Well, it is a night to remember, for the wrong reasons though.

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13 Wrap Up Group of draws AFCON 2015 Group produced 5 stalemates and a draw of luck had to decide the runner-up... Writes Johannes Masiteng. When the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 draw was made in December 2014 in Malabo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Guinea were grouped together in Group D, a group some referred to as a Group of Death. Well, it wasn t the case in the tournament as the group turned out to be a Group of Draws. The group produced a total of 5 draws out of 6 matches as Ivory Coast won their last encounter by a solitary goal to win the group. The first group D match resulted in a 1-all stalemate as 10 men Ivory Coast fought back to settle for a share of spoils against Guinea. Later that night, the match between Mali and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon produced the same result as Onyongo Bitolo found the late equaliser for Cameroon 6 minutes from time. The second matches also produced the same results with Ivory Coast yet again finding the late equaliser through Gradel against Mali, while Cameroon were held to a 1-all draw by Guinea. This made all the teams level on every statistic going to the final group matches. Ivory Coast secured their place in the last 8 with a 1-0 win over Cameroon, while Mali and Guinea could not be separated as their match ended in a 1-all draw. With Ivory Coast winning Group D, the draw of lots had to be called up to decide the group runner-ups as Mali and Guinea were level on every statistic and head-to-head. The lucky draw favoured Guinea who were thumped 3-0 by Ghana in the Quarterfinals. Group B also had draws as were knocked without losing a single match. Sent packing Zambia and Cape Verde players comfort each other as their sides were eliminated in the first round. Fun Fact Of the 32 AFCON 2015 fixtures, 15 ended in draws, 10 of which ended in 1-all stalemates. PHOTOS: afcononline.com AFCON 2015: The Review 13

14 Wrap Up Dumped out early! Cameroon, Cape Verde, Mali, Gabon, AFCON 2013 Runner-ups Burkina Faso and AFCON 2012 Champions Zambia had a short stay in Equatorial Guinea, writes Johannes Masiteng. The 30th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was not a good tournament for some of the African football powerhouses. Despite his heroics in their AFCON 2015 encounter against Burkina Faso, Gabon skipper Pierre-Emmerick Aubameyang could not do anything to help his national team advance to the next round. The Gabonese finished third in Group A with one victory and two losses Runner-ups Burkina Faso could not repeat what they did in South Africa two years ago as they collected a solitary point in their AFCON 2015 campaign. This sums up the Burkinabe s performance in the tournament, having played in a total of ten editions and being eliminated in the first round 7 times AFCON champions Zambia fluffed their chances and Cape Verde failed to build on their impressive 2013 Nations Cup campaign as they also failed to advance to the Last 8. Mali, who claimed the third spot in South Africa 2 years ago, were also knocked out in the group stages as the draw of lots favoured Guinea to progress to the next round as the teams were even on every statistic. The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and The Lions of Teranga, Senegal were tame as they also crashed out in the Goal poachers 1. Andre Ayew 3 Goals 2. Javier Balboa 3 Goals Sent packing Zambia and Cape Verde players comfort each other as their sides were eliminated in the first round. group stages. Senegal s campaign started well with a win over Ghana and went on the draw against South Africa and lost 2-0 to Algeria, while Cameroon went home without a loss, having played three draws. Other national teams who did not impress include Algeria who were eliminated by Cote D Ivoire and Tunisia who were eliminated by the hosts Equatorial Guinea. Some stats... Goals scored Yellow Cards Goals 3. Thievy Boifuma 3 Goals Player of the Tournament Christian Atsu (GHA) (Pic) PEN OG Red Cards 2 Penalties 7 Own Goals 1 PHOTOS: afcononline.com 14 AFCON 2015: The Review

15 Where it went wrong for Bafana... South Africa failed to build on their impressive Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers form as they failed to make it past the group stages. Johannes Masiteng looks at some of the factors which led to the fall of Bafana Bafana.

16 Bafana Bafana Following the impressive qualifying campaign, Ephraim Shakes Mashaba promised the nation that Bafana Bafana will come back home as the champions of Africa. However, Mashaba and his troops faiiled to make it past the Group stages despite their impressive play in the tournament. Bafana Bafana s first match at the Nations Cup resulted in a 3-1 defeat to Algeria. The second match was also disappointing as they failed to protect as Senegal fought back for a share of spoils. The last fixture also saw Bafana take an early lead whih they failed to protect as Ghana went on to win the match 2-1. This resulted confirmed the Bafana Bafana s exit in the tournament. Now that they had a bad AFCON campaign, Shakes Mashaba and his players have to put it all behind and prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers and the AFCON 2017.Below are the key factors which led to Bafana Bafana s early exit in the tournament. Bafana Bafana s AFCON 2015 results 19 January 2015 Algeria 3 (T Hlatshwayo (OG) 67, Ghoulam 72, Slimani 83 ) South Africa 1 (Phala 51 ) 23 January 2015 Senegal 1 (K Mbodji 60 ) South Africa 1 (O Manyisa 47 ) 27 January 2015 South Africa 1 (M Masango 17 ) Ghana 2 (Boye 73, A. Ayew 83 ) Inexperienced players Thulani Serero (left) was not part of Shakes AFCON 2015, while youngster Rivaldo Coetzee (Right) was part of the squad. Failing to protect the lead South Africa took the lead first in all their three AFCON 2015 matches, but they ended up losing the match or sharing points with the opposition. In the opening fixture against the number 1 ranked team in Africa, Algeria, Bafana Bafana were in control of the match and were rewarded in the 57th minute when Thuso Phala found the back of the from close range. The North Africans, however, capitalised from Bafana Bafana s mistakes and found the equaliser and eventually went on to win the match 3-1. Shakes Mashaba s men did the same in their second Group C The key factor which led to the South Africa s premature exit in the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 is inexperience.ephraim Shakes Mashaba s AFCON 2015 squad consisted of mostly young and inexperienced players who never played in the AFCON tournament before. Only three players, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Dean Furman ans Bernard Parker had played in the Nations Cup before. Despite the impressive qualifying campaign, the actual tournament was too difficult for the youngsters. Shakes could have selected more experienced players and (perhaps) Bafana Bafana would have performed better in the tournament. match against Senegal as Boye scored in the 73rd minute to force Bafana into a 1-all draw. The last Group C encounter saw Bafana take an early lead with a fine Mandla Masango volley outside the box. The Black Stars exploited Bafana s weak defensive areas and found the equaliser and Andre Ayew s (right) header in the 83rd minute confirmed Bafana Bafana s early exit in the tournament. 16 AFCON 2015: The Review

17 Bafana Bafana Not converting chances Tokelo Rantie s penalty miss against Algeria could have secured three points for Bafana Bafana just before the hour mark. However, the Burnemouth striker blasted his penalty against the upright. Bafana Bafana failed to convert clear scoring opportunities in all their three matches and this led to the team to surrender their lead and eventually losing. Tokelo Rantie rues a missed penalty during Bafana Bafana s opening match against Algeria. Injuries and Suspensions Bafana Bafana went to their first AFCON 2015 fixture without the services of central defender Eric Mathoho, midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane both due to suspension and right back Rivaldo Coetzee due to injury. This forced Mashaba to replace the duo with Anele Ngcongca and Thulani Hlatshwayo respectively. Hlatshwayo had to be replaced during the match agaisnt Senegal after sustaining an injury. Regular changes between the sticks and in the backline saw Mashaba s men lack organisation at the back. Going down... Bafana Bafana slipped 4 places in the latest FIFA Rankings folowing a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign. The poor performance also see Bafana Bafana go down two places to number 14 in the latest CAF Rankings. RANKINGS Federation Previous Current FIFA CAF Eric Mathoho (far right) was not available for Bafan Bafana s AFCON 2015 opening fixture. What Shakes says... If you look at our selection criteria, the main thing is current form. But still I don t have any regrets about the team selection; the players who are here have done well. Having those players in the team would not have guaranteed us doing well in the tournament. Perhaps people would have loved to see those players in the squad but they were not here. I don t have any regrets, and I believe the squad we assembled is one of the best and they gave a good account of themselves. safa.net AFCON 2015: The Review 17 PHOTOS: afcononline.com

18 Best XI TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT Johannes Masiteng selects eleven players and seven sustitutes who make up the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 Team of the Tournament. The team is in a formation. AFCON 2015 Best XI Formation: Coach: Herve Renard (Cote D Ivoire) Substitutes GK: Brimah Razak (Ghana) DEF: Jean Kasusula (DR Congo) DEF: Harrison Afful (Ghana) MID: Youssouf Mulumbu (DR Congo) MID: Max Gradel (Cote D Ivoire) ST: Thievy Boifuma (Congo) ST: Emile Nsue (Equatorial Guinea) Goal of the Tournament: Christian Atsu (Ghana) (Third goal against Senegal) 18 AFCON 2015: The Review

19 Cote D Ivoire Africa Cup of Nations 2015 Champions

20 AFCON 2015: The Review (c) 2015 Written by: Johannes Masiteng Edited by: Johannes Masiteng Designed by: Johannes Masiteng