Supersub Boakye sends Ghana through
Last-minute drama put Ghana through into the quarter-finals after they spent most of the afternoon in provisional last place.
And the man whose name was celebrated from Mopti to Accra was Issac Boakye.
With 88 minutes gone, Burkina Faso were 1-0 up and looking to be heading to the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history.
The game had been a drab encounter with few chances of real note until, with just 10 minutes left, Toure got a free kick outside the Ghanaian area.
He hit it straight into wall, but as the ball broke Toure was fouled again.
He did not waste his second attempt, the ball swooping into the Ghana goal like an osprey onto a particularly large salmon.
Ghana, who had been performing as if a player was being sent home at gone midnight every night, were suddenly woken from their sleep-playing.
But as the seconds counted down, it looked like the Black Stars were well and truly winking out.
Then, having risen from the substitutes bench, came the little-known figure of Isaac Boakye.
Last minute
With 89 minutes played, the ball broke down the Ghanaian right.
The Burkinabese sensed the danger and backtracked desperately, but as the cross came, they could only half-clear and Boakye slammed it past Mohamed Kabore.
That was enough to have put Burkina Faso out, but not enough for the Black Stars to make the last eight; the biggest cheer for Boakye’s first was heard across the Sahara in Morocco.
But Boakye was not finished yet. Sensing their moment, Ghana advanced into Burkina Faso back line almost paralysed with fear.
And the masterful Boakye knew what he had to do. In space with the Burkinabese backing off him, he smashed a fantastic volley home and secured himself a small piece of football history.
Other AFCON fixtures on 30 January
2002 Group: South Africa 3-1 Morocco
2004 Group: Burkina Faso 1-3 Mali
2004 Group: Senegal 3-0 Kenya
2006 Group: Tunisia 0-3 Guinea
2006 Group: Zambia 1-0 South Africa
2008 Group: Cameroon 3-0 Sudan
2008 Group: Egypt 1-1 Zambia
2010 Third place play-off: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria
2012 Group: Sudan 2-1 Burkina Faso
2012 Group: Ivory Coast 2-0 Angola
2013 Group: Algeria 2-2 Ivory Coast
2013 Group: Togo 1-1 Tunisia
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
