Emmanuel Mayuka was the hero for Zambia as he came on as a substitute to score the goal that saw them secure a 1-0 win over Ghana in their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final on Wednesday.
The game could have turned out very differently had Asamoah Gyan not missed an eighth-minute penalty for the four-times champions and favourites Ghana.
Ghana dominated the game but struggled to create chances in another empty stadium, a sad hallmark of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, on a wet and steamy evening in Bata.
Mayuka, the only member of the Zambian squad playing for a European first division club, scored out of the blue with a shot on the turn on 78 minutes. The Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng was sent off eight minutes from time after a second yellow card.
Zambia will play Mali or Ivory Coast in Sunday’s final.
