Wilfried Bony and Yaya Touré have become African champions after they beat Ghana 9-8 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the final of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Both Bony and Yaya played a big part not just in the final, but also in the whole tournament, proving that whilst they were certainly missed by City while they were gone, on a personal level it was worth it for them.
It looked like Bony might have been part of the reason for Ivory Coast’s downfall had they lost the penalty shootout, with the newest City signing taking the first penalty for his country and subsequently missing it, which led to Ghana taking a 2-0 lead in the shootout. Yaya also took a penalty, and one of the most crucial – the fifth, which kept them in the shootout by making it 3-3 and taking it to sudden death. Ex-City man Kolo Touré also scored a penalty during sudden death, the equaliser to make it 5-5.
However, it was ultimately the Ivorian goalkeeper, Boubacar Barry of Lokeren, who saved his opposite number’s penalty, before scoring the winner with Ivory Coast’s 11th spot kick to win the game and the tournament.
The win means both Yaya and Bony have their first international honours for their country, and whilst Bony had not been in a final before, Yaya had previously been the runner-up in 2006 and 2012, so it’s pleasing to finally see him lift the trophy.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to get back to the club as quickly as possible in order to get back in the side as soon as they can. How we have missed them.
