Kolo helps Ivorians win Cup of Nations
Kolo Toure signed off from duty with Ivory Coast in style by helping his country hoist aloft the Africa Cup of Nations after an incredible penalty shootout against Ghana on Sunday evening.
Liverpool's No.4 played the entire 120 minutes of a hard-fought contest in the final, which ended 0-0 following two hours of play, and fired in a spot-kick under immense pressure from 12 yards.
Herve Renard's charges had actually missed each of their first two penalties in the shootout, but found the tenacity to score the next nine in succession to ultimately overcome Avram Grant's team 9-8.
Participating in his last international tournament, Toure had spoken repeatedly throughout the competition of his dream to lift the continental trophy and bid farewell with glory.
While both sides attacked at will in an open, end-to-end encounter, their awareness of the importance of the match meant it was played out in tense fashion too, neither wanting to make a mistake that could prove costly.
The closest anybody came to breaking the deadlock was when Ghana's Christian Atsu launched a left-foot piledriver from 20 yards out that swung viciously to the right in the air and crashed against the post and away.
Toure provided a typically calm presence in the Ivorian defence wherever necessary and despite the toil and tussle from each country across 120 minutes in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, the tournament had to be decided on penalties.
Three were scored and two missed apiece to demand sudden death, and Toure stepped up to take Ivory Coast's seventh spot-kick and successfully shook off any sense of nerves to drive home.
Such was the drama that it eventually came down to the goalkeepers; Boubacar Barry sprawled to keep out an effort from Ghana's Brimah Razak and then found the target himself when their roles were reversed to seal success for Toure and co.