Copper Bullets down Elephants to lift first African title

It was delirium as Zambia delighted in winning their first Africa Cup of Nations title by beating tournament favourites Ivory Coast on penalties. The Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets), the only team outside West Africa to have reached the last four, sealed a fairytale run in a country where it tragically lost a generation of players, thought to have been the best in Africa, 19 years ago.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. But Stoppila Sunzu found the top corner to complete an amazing victory. It was a heartbreaking end for Ivorian skipper Didier Drogba, who missed a spot-kick in normal time. And it means the wait goes on for an Ivory Coast team replete with many Premier League and European stars, with the country losing the 2006 final to Egypt in the same way and last winning the tournament 20 years ago. In 1992, Ivory Coast beat heavyweight Ghana in a similarly tense penalty shootout, 11-10, after a goalless draw, to lift their first and only African title. But 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 teams members died as they took off from the Gabonese capital. Zambian football legend and former PSV Eindenhoven star, Kalusha Bwalya, a survivor of the fateful crash was at the forefront of the historical celebrations. Former president, a now frail Kenneth Kaunda added to the emotional scenes. A host of West African Heads of State watched the game, as did the FIFA President Sepp Blatter.And en route to the final, the current team had spoken of the strength they had gained in remembering that tragedy. Additional reporting by BBC

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Copper Bullets down Elephants to lift first African title