AFCON 2020 Final

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

AFCON 2020 Final

Guinea AFCON Champions for 2020 after 3-2 Win Over Ghana

July 12, 2020

Ghana 2 Guinea 3

 

Guinea showed why they were 2018 World Cup participants as they overcame nearly missing out on the knockout stages with a 3-2 victory over Ghana to take home the 2020 AFCON trophy.

 

Ghana made two changes in Jordan Ayew and Mubarak Wakaso unable to be fully fit for the match.

 

It mattered little as one replacement, Mohammed Kudus, set up Andre Ayew for a header only for it to fall straight to Ali Keita.

 

Instead, it was Alfred Duncan, the other replacement, who gifted Ayew the opening goal, adjusting the angle by which the cross came in from the right wing. The striker made no mistake.

 

To make matters worse for Guinea, Issiaga Sylla went down with an injury in the eleventh minute and had to be substituted.

 

Guinea did not look downcast by any stretch, and soon fired on all cylinders to equalise. Player of the Match Aboubacar Camara had a shot saved by Richard Ofori, only for Mohamed Yattara to reach the rebound first and header into the back of the net.

 

Down the other end, Samuel Owusu had a long-range ping, only to fire to the right of goal.

 

In the 29th minute, Ghana was awarded a penalty for foul play in the aerial challenge. Ayew made no mistake from the spot, though one could argue the goal from the header should have originally stood.

 

After the half hour mark, Owusu missed a chip shot, before Kudus had his follow-up shot blocked.

 

Owusu then had a free kick saved by Keita. From the corner, Emmanuel Boateng’s header hit the crossbar.

 

Guinea, instead, countered, with Ibrahima Traoré crossing to the head of Francois Kamano, who headed home with relative ease above the Ghanaian defenders.

 

A match level meant either a continuation of the attacking style or a shutdown in defence. Guinea chose both, and when it counted, Naby Keïta headed home the ball for the lead in the first time this Final.

 

Ghana brought on Jordan Ayew to rectify the situation, but when Traoré nearly scored, only for Ofori to gain enough on the ball to send it for a corner, it seemed the Guineans were a class above. Fode Camara nearly had a fourth for the side with his header from a corner missing over the top of the goals.

 

Guinea pegged Ghana back in defence for long periods, only to not have another real attempt on goal. Instead, Ghana’s Ayew brothers worked together to get back in the match. Ayew set up substitute Augustine Okrah in the 73rd minute, only for his right foot to miss to the right.

 

Duncan had a chance late for Ghana blocked in their final attempt to equalise. Guinea, instead, held firm to win the match and the African Cup of Nations.