On this day 26 January 1992 (Exactly 28 years ago today) Cote d’Ivoire defeated Ghana 11:10 on penalties after a goalless draw to win their first Africa Cup of Nations at the
Stade de l’Amitié in Dakar, Senegal.
In one of the longest and perhaps the most heartbreaking tie- breaks in the history of the competition, after 120 minutes had failed to produce a goal, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire went out with the giant African Unity Cup, thanks to their brilliant goalkeeper Alain Gouamene who stopped Tony Baffoe’s 12th kick for Ghana to give the Ivorians their 11:10 win on penalties and their first ever Africa Cup of Nations triumph.
The penalty shootout was notable as the first time that every player on the field took a penalty in a major international final.
This would be repeated again when the two teams met in the 2015 final in another Ivorian victory.
Then current African Footballer of the Year and the tournament’s best player, Abedi Pele was suspended and did not play for the Black Stars of Ghana.
Then the Stars were further handicapped by the injury to Ali Ibrahim which posed further problems for the Ghanaian technical team as it did weaken the midfield and attack considerably.
The final suffered in standards without Pele, but Ghana was the bigger loser in the end.
This is not to suggest that the Stars didn’t work hard enough but as someone said before the match Ghana is made up of a great artiste and good artisans. Without the artiste the artisans worked hard but the golden touch was surely missed.
No one at the almost filled stadium which was graced by the presence of the Senegalese President Abdul Diof and some dignatories from all over the world including a PNDC member and some Secretaries, could deny that in the absence of Abedi, Tony Yeboah tried to lead the Stars.
Nor can anybody deny goalkeeper Edward Ansah glory that must be his for some excellent, timely saves which had Ghana hanging on in the 120 minutes of play and even in the penalty shoot- out when he made one save.
After an early pressure, the Stars should have gone ahead in the fifth minute after Sarfo Gyamfi’s long pass found Tony Yeboah.
The Eintracht striker lobbed the ball over an advancing Alain Gouamene. Prince Opoku Polley however blast a left footer wide with an empty net before him.
This left off might have warned the Ivorians to redouble their effort and when they did, the Stars defence and more particularly libero and captain Tony Baffoe’s weakness as a tackler was to be exposed time and again by Ivorian striker Abdoulaye Traore and Joel Tiehi, the playmate.
It was on the first quarter of an hour however that the Elephants posed their first danger. A shot throw in saw shortish Traore out jumped Baffoe but Ansah saved the ball on the line.
In a light game in which both sides struggled to make it befitting the occasion, the hearts of Ghanaians in the crowd must have missed a beat in the 22nd minute.
This was when Ampeah gave a back pass meant for Baffoe. The libero wasn’t fast enough and Donald Sie, the Ivorian winger pounced on it but his cross was well covered by goalkeeper Ansah.
As the Elephants romped forward Traore rounded Baffoe but Ampeah was around to head the ball to corner.
As the tension rose with the exchanges on the field, the Ivorian technical director Paul Gaugings aroused no little storm as he went to the match commissioner’s table to protest the decision to allow Abedi to share the table.
Senegalese referee Sene Badara gave the official the only red card of the match as he angrily argued that the Ghanaian super star who had been given a standing ovation when he entered the stadium, shouldn’t be given the red carpet treatment.
When play resumed as the Ivorians official had been escorted out, the referee’s yellow card came out to penalise Joel Tiehi for deliberately hacking down Stanley Aborah in midfield.
That was in the 39th minute and two minutes later Ghana’s Armah followed the Ivorian into the referee’s book.
If the first half was tough and uncompromising, the second half was to see even more frustrating tactics. Just under one minute in the second half, Nii Odartey Lamptey was given a big kick behind the Ivorian goal area.
Otto Pfister decided to give Richard Naawu his first taste of the championship five minutes into the second half and he pulled out Sarfo Gyamfi who had worked really hard in the first half.
The speedy striker was given a rough welcome as he fell heavily as he tried to beat Maguy Serge. That was in the 52nd minute and seven minutes later substitute Mousa Traore hit the cross bar with Ansah clearly beaten but Ampeah scrambled the ball to corner.
Tony Yeboah began to assert himself in the 61th minute, he left his marker gracefully but his cross was somehow missed by Prince Opoku who failed rather badly to make contact with the ball.
Then in the 67th minute, Isaac Asare did well to control a ball, centred well to put Naawu through.
But the substitute tried to lob the ball before heading and clashed with the Ivorian goalie. Both players received treatment on the field.
The best effort in this half had to wait a minute from full time but Tony Yeboah’s great run down the left wing couldn’t produce the goal that would have prevented the game going into extra time as his pile – driver grazed the post.
The extra time didn’t produce much of action as tiredness appeared to have set in.
The Ivorians who had gone through a 120 minute semi-final however, nearly had the last laugh a minute from the end of extra time.
Joel Tiehi pounced on a loose ball after it bounced off a defender. Ansah came out to confront him and in a tense moment, the goalie managed to stop him and send the game into penalties.
In the first round of the penalty shoot – out, both sides missed a kick each, with Baffoe, Odartey, Naawu, Tony Yeboah, Armah, Aboraa, Ampeah, Prince Opoku and Edward Ansah scoring while Isaac Asare shot wide. Ansah saved from Joel Tiehi.
In the second round sudden death Aka Kouame scored for the Elephants while Baffoe’s kick was stopped by Gouamene who left Dakar with the best record of all the goalkeepers — he never conceded a goal in the five matches the Elephants on their way to the final.
Match Summary
Cote d’Ivoire 0:0 Ghana
Penalties Shoot-out 11:10
Cote d’Ivoire
Aka Penalty scored
Hobou Penalty scored
Sekana Penalty scored
M. Traoré Penalty scored
Tiéhi Penalty missed
Gadji-Celi Penalty scored
Kouadio Penalty scored
Abouo Penalty scored
Maguy Penalty scored
Sie Penalty scored
Gouamené Penalty scored
Aka Penalty scored
Ghana
Baffoe Penalty scored
Lamptey Penalty scored
Naawu Penalty scored
Asare Penalty missed
Yeboah Penalty scored
Manso Penalty scored
Armah Penalty scored
Abroah Penalty scored
Ampeah Penalty scored
Opoku Penalty scored
Ansah Penalty scored
Baffoe Penalty missed
Cote d’Ivore Line-up: Alain Gouamené – Aka Kouame, Sam Abouo, Diaby Sekana, Arsene Hobou, Joseph Gadji-Celi, Alain Maguy, Donald Oliver Sié, Didier Otokoré (53minMousa Traoré), Joel Tiéhi, Abdoulaye Traoré (101min Lucien- Kassey Kouadio)
Coach: Yeo MARTIAL
Ghana Line-up: Ghana: Edward Ansah , Emmanuel Ampeah, Frimpong Manso, Tony Baffoe (C), Emmanuel Armah, Sarfo Gyamfi (51min Richard Naawu), Stanley Abroah,
Odartey Lamptey, Isaac Asare, Tony Yeboah, Prince Opoku Polley
Coach: Otto Pfister
Referee: Badara Sène (Senegal)
Attendance: 47,500
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
