How the Copper Bullets of Zambia wrote one of sport's great stories on Sunday
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway this week and www.theelastico.com 's Chris Atkins will be blogging for MirrorFootball throughout the tournament.
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From South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995 to a Roger Milla-inspired Cameroon in Italia '90, Africa has provided some the iconic moments in recent sporting history. Without doubt, the achievements of Zambia on Sunday night in winning the Africa Cup of Nations will be added to that list.
Thanks to the power of Twitter and Facebook, this was not only the most-watched Cup of Nations ever but also the most commented upon. When Sunday's final entered its penalty shoot-out, social media networks were ablaze with people sharing their opinions on the likes of Chris Katongo and Rainford Kalaba. This Zambia team had a story to tell and people were listening to their inspiring message.
Shedding the romantic imagery of that win for a second, the match itself was one of the worst of the entire tournament, notable only for Didier Drogba's missed penalty. Ivory Coast came in as heavy favourites, but they were matched stride-for-stride by Zambia, who were probably the better team over the 120 minutes.
That shootout then followed and, unusually, the first 14 were all scored in fine style, with the majority rifled into the top corner (England take note - this is how penalties are taken). One miss apiece followed from Kolo Toure and Kalaba, further delaying the announcement of a champion, but when Gervinho blasted wide the 17th penalty of the night, Stoppila Sunzu stepped up to write his name in Zambian history.
This was no fluke victory. The Chipolopolo, or Copper Bullets, had overcome both Senegal and Ghana in style on their way to final. The inspiration for their victory was clear: upon Zambia's first return to Libreville, the scene of the air-crash which wiped-out a generation of the national side 20 years ago, the current generation have built the greatest legacy possible.
In one of the most touching moments of the final, Zambian coach Hervé Renard gave his winners medal to Zambian FA president Kalusha Bwalya, who only survived the fateful crash as he was playing for PSV Eindhoven at the time and therefore making his own way to the match in Senegal. Bwalya has been as key to this year's success as anyone else.
The success of Zambia at this year's Cup of Nations will be remembered for these emotional factors that inspired the side to greatness, yet this must not obscure the root cause of this famous triumph. Bwalya laid the foundations himself as vice-president of the country's Football Association back in 2005, having witnessed yet another failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Not content, Bwalya implemented a long-term vision, pooling players from Under-20 and Under-23 level who would form a core of a side for the next four years. Both 2006 and 2008 saw first-round elimination from the Cup of Nations, but Bwalya did not panic and ensured that they stuck to the original four-year plan for success.
Now the FA president, Bwalya's philosophy saw Zambia get to the knockout-rounds in 2010, before earning the ultimate accolade in 2012, with a philosophy based on familiarity, togetherness and pride. Coach Hervé Renard must also take great credit, despite only having re-joined the Zambian set-up last year. The team worked together over friendly encounters on the tactical systems and approaches that could guide them to success, with the Frenchman overseeing a team that has shown remarkable discipline and tactical versatility throughout the tournament, a shining light to African football.
As the Africa Cup of Nations disappears from the horizon (for a year at least), the 2012 tournament will live long in the memory. This was a breath of fresh air compared to recent international tournaments, with the improving African game showcasing a greater depth of talent than ever before, much improved tactical approaches and playing standard, as well as the pride and passion that occasionally seems lost in modern times.
With the last kick of a ball for this year's event, Zambia provided a genuinely heart-warming story that ensures this year's tournament will go down in Cup of Nations folklore.
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Follow Chris on Twitter at @chris_elastico
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