KUMASI - Ghana ended their African Nations Cup campaign on a high after coming from a goal down to beat Ivory Coast in the third-play play-off in Kumasi on Saturday.
Sulley Muntari fired the tournament hosts ahead with a free-kick before a brace from Boubacar Sanogo gave the Elephants the lead at the break.
But Claude Le Roy's side upped the tempo late in the second half with goals from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Junior Agogo and Haminu Dramani handing Ghana a superb win.
Both sets of players appeared relaxed before the match, exchanging jokes and smiles during the handshakes.
But the pleasantries were soon set to one side with Ghana doing the early pressing, Muntari's early corner into the Ivorian penalty area causing a scare that was eventually cleared to safety.
The Elephants hit back but missed an easy chance when Salomon Kalou was put through and found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Richard Kingson who blocked the Chelsea forward's shot.
Muntari opened the scoring with a cracking free-kick after 10 minutes, striking the ball cleanly through the wall to give Ivorian goalkeeper Tiasse Kone no chance.
The Elephants were level 14 minutes later, however, Sanogo latching on to an Abdelkader Keita pass that caught Ghana's defence napping before sliding the ball across Kingson and into the left corner.
Eric Addo then had a good chance to put his side back in front after John Mensah's attempted scissor-kick made its way to the PSV Eindhoven defender, who headed straight at Tiasse Kone.
The Black Stars goalkeeper was again in action on the half-hour mark, making a fine double save from Sanogo and then Didier Drogba, but he could do nothing about Sanogo's second.
It came after 32 minutes when Siaka Tiene cut the ball back to Drogba in the centre of the penalty area and his shot was blocked by Kingson, but Sanogo was on hand to stab home.
It was almost three after 40 minutes when Drogba raced down the right and played the ball across to Sanogo, who beat Kingson but not the crossbar as Ivory Coast ended the half in the ascendancy.
After a quiet start to the second period, Owusu-Abeyie eventually managed to draw his side level with their first real chance of the half in the 70th minute, the forward outpacing two defenders before firing home from the left side of the penalty area.
Substitute Gervais Yao Kouassi then created space on the edge of the penalty area but thumped his shot into the crowd as the pace of the game lifted.
And Agogo fired Ghana ahead in the 80th minute, beating the offside trap as he picked up Essien's through-ball and slid the ball beyond Kone from the right side of the penalty area.
Dramani then secured the win with a powerful shot from 25 yards that took a wicked bounce in front of Kone on its way into the net.
