Yaya Toure described winning the Africa Cup
of Nations as "unbelievable" after The
Elephants beat Ghana in a dramatic penalty
shootout. Goalkeeper Boubacar Barry scored the
decisive spot-kick to seal a 9-8 win on penalties after Sunday's final had ended goalless after extra time. Toure, who won the Premier League with
C ity last season, said: "When you win with
your club, it's quite amazing. "With your country, it's unbelievable." Ivory Coast's only other Africa Cup of Nations
success was in 1992, when they also played
Ghana in the final and beat them on penalties. That year, Ivory Coast triumphed 11-10 after
a goalless draw, but Barry's heroics
prevented as many spot kicks being needed
this time. With the shootout in sudden death, Barry first
saved Ghana keeper Brimah Razak's effort
before firing in the winner at Estadio de Bata
in Equatorial Guinea. It cemented a historic achievement for Herve
Renard, who became the first coach to win
two Africa Cup of Nations with different
countries, following Zambia's success in 2012. "Without the manager we would have won
nothing," Toure, captain of Ivory Coast,
added. "He made things difficult for me. He
told me if I didn't run he'd kick me out. He's
fantastic." Defeat for Ghana coach Avram Grant revived
memories of the 2008 Champions League
final when his Chelsea side lost 6-5 on
penalties to Manchester United, with John
Terry slipping and hitting the post when he
struck the ball. Asked if he was cursed, Grant said: "I donot
believe in those kind of things. "We did practice penalties on the day before
the match, but it is not the same as when you
take them in front of spectators. "Both sides had 11 kicks which meant it went
down to the goalkeepers."
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