Soccer

Yaya Toure among scorers as Ivory Coast reach final

Elephants return to final after seeing off DR Congo

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure celebrates scoring his side’s opening goal with defender Serge Aurier in the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Democratic Republic of the Congo in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Wed Feb 04 2015 - 21:26

DR Congo 1 Ivory Coast 3

Ivory Coast reached their second African Nations Cup final in three years after claiming a comfortable 3-1 victory over DR Congo in Bata.

Beaten finalists in 2012, the Elephants will have the chance to go one better against either Ghana or hosts Equatorial Guinea this weekend after goals from Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Wilfried Kanon helped the 1992 winners to victory in their last-four clash on Wednesday.

Dieumerci Mbokani’s penalty cancelled out Toure’s opener and although DR Congo had several chances after falling 2-1 behind, their hopes receded late on.

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The Leopards, two-time winners of the competition, could equal their best finish since last lifting the trophy in 1974 if they win the third place play-off.