This has nothing to with America or me really, but it does have a whole lot to do with the underdog winning out.
Ivory Coast were very much favorites to win the Africa Cup of Nations before the tournament started and in all likelihood they were going to have to beat Ghana to win the title. Ghana only made it to the semi's where they were knocked out by Zambia. Zambia may have struggled to get out of a group containing Senegal and the co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, but get out they did and two weeks later they've won the whole thing...
Feel free to skip through the penalty shoot-out above. My personal favorite moments are the following:
00:30 - The Ivorian keeper lay out some sort of towel behind the goal line, and then nearly tripping over his own feet in an effort to save the first pen.
2:15 - One of many moments of audible singing from the players.
3:11 - The Zambia keeper's save being disallowed for him moving off the line. This not happening again.
8:15 - The Zambia keeper taking their fifth pen and calmly slotting it into the corner like it's no big thing.
10:25 - One of the best pens ever, top left, keeper no hope.
11:45 - Didier Drogba engages in a bit of sportsmanship before Zambia's seventh, no worries, slots into the corner, 7-7.
13:40 - £120,000 a week Kolo Toure having his pen saved.
14:45 - More singing.
16:00 - The hugely foreheaded, £90,000 a week Gervinho firing wide.
17:02 - Frenzied prayer.
17:15 - TP Mazembe's Stophira Sunzu, possibly on as much as £3,500 a week (a lot for a team from the Congo) scores the winner.
Herve Renard the French coach of the Zambian team spent a couple of months managing Cambridge United in their last season in the football league in 04-05. This is his first title. Good on him and his lucky white shirt he wore for every game of the competition.
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