The Chipolopolo won the AFCON 2012 in Gabon when they edged out Ivory Coast 8 – 7 on post match penalties to lift the cup for the first time. It was a befitting tribute to their team which perished off Gabon coast in 1993 plane clash.
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| Chipolopolo Captain Chris Katongo celebrates with team mates. |
They beat the tournament favorites Ivory Coast to lift the title after 14 kicks were converted, Kolo Toure and Gervinho failed to find the target for the Elephants as Zambia's Rainford Kalaba also blazed over.
Stoppila Sunzu found the top corner to complete an amazing 8-7 victory. It was a heartbreaking end for Ivorian skipper Didier Drogba, who missed a spot-kick in normal time.
This means the wait goes on for an Ivory Coast team complete with many Premier League and European stars, with the country losing the 2006 final to Egypt in the same way and last winning the title 20 years ago.
For the Chipolopolo, who have already been runners-up twice, it concluded a tournament where they were inspired by the loss of the 1993 Zambian team after a plane crash close to the venue of the final in Libreville.
The last time the southern African country reached the final in 1994, it was just a year after 18 Zambian team members died as they took off from the Gabonese capital.
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| Zambia Captain Christopher Katongo in action. |
In winning the shoot-out, they showed a steely determination to beat their supposedly more illustrious opponents with a performance that was built on an indefatigable spirit.
Zambia conceded just three goals en route to the final and Ivory Coast none, and the game was never likely to be an open contest. And as the game progressed, the belief in the Ivorian team seemed to shrink.
Buoyed by their vocal coach Herve Renard, Zambia always posed a threat from their well-worked set-pieces and it certainly appeared that fate was on their side when Chelsea forward Drogba missed from the spot. He however made amends for his earlier miss by scoring his team's fifth kick, after Souleymane Bamba was fortunate to earn a second chance having missed his first effort.
Sunzu made the most of misses by Kolo Toure and Gervinho, sparking wild celebrations for a well deserved triumph.
Zambia coach Herve Renard dedicated his team’s title triumph at the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations to Chipolopolo legend Kalusha Bwalya for giving him the opportunity to handle the team.
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| Zambia coach Herve Renard is carried shoulder high by the celebratory team. |
Kalusha, considered the finest Zambian footballer of all time heads the country’s football federation and the Frenchman describes the feat as a thank you package for the impact in his coaching career. Incidentally, Kalusha escaped the April 28, 1993 air plane crash involving the Zambian team in Gabon on their way to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier because he had to fly to Dakar from his European base.
“He is the best Zambian player of the last century and he escaped the plane crash. He was criticized for giving me the second chance. I dedicate the victory to him because he gave me the opportunity to coach. I also thank Claude Le Roy for giving me my first experience in Africa as assistant coach in 2008 with Ghana.”
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Bwalya, in turn, praised the French coach, and immediately looking ahead to the upcoming Nations Cup 2013 and World Cup 2014 qualifiers, said Renard "can stay as long as he wants".
Ivorian coach Zahoui proud in defeat
Coach Francois Zahoui said Ivory Coast can return home with their heads held high despite their defeat in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final.
"We didn't expect such a challenging final," said the Ivorian.
"We go back to Abidjan with not too much shame. I think we played a good game. I congratulate Zambia."
The Ivorians' misery was compounded by knowing that they had gone through the entire tournament without conceding a goal.
"It's difficult when you take part in a competition and you don't concede any goals and score nine goals,'' Zahoui said.
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