1974: In the final of the Egypt 1974 edition, Zaire were held by Zambia to a 2-2 draw in Cairo stadium. Mulamba N'Daye canceled Kaushi's first half lead, 40, in the 65thminute then going through extra-time he gave Zaire's a 2-1 lead in the 117thminute and put the Leopards closer as ever from their first CAN title. Simon Kaushi put Zambia ahead in the 40thminute but Mulamba N'Daye scored on 65 and 117 minutes to give his side a 2-1 lead but a goal from Brighton Sinyangwe in the dying seconds, 120, restored parity between both sides in probably the most dramatic final of the African Cup of Nations history. The final was replayed two days later as the penalties weren't in use yet and N'Daye – nicknamed the Assassin of Katanga - hit another double 30 and 76 to seal Zaire their second title. N'Daye ended as top scorer of the tournament with a record of nine goals in a single tournament. 2006: In the final of the Egypt 2006 edition, the hosts were held by a star-studded Ivory Coast to a scoreless draw. It was a much contested game and none of the rivals seemed able to extend his domination. In the 76thminute, Aruna Kone set up Didier Drogba in front of the empty nets but he awkwardly missed the target from inside the six yards! The match went through extra-times and the Pharaohs also lost a golden opportunity to seal the title when Ahmed Hassan's penalty kick was blocked by the Ivorian keeper. Going through penalties, Drogba was the villain again as his attempt was brilliantly denied by keeper Essam El-Hadary to claim Egypt a record of fifth CAN title and their first since 1998. 2010: In one of the most odd games played in the history of football, Angola had secured an easy 4-0 lead against Mali in the opening game of the competition through Flavio Amado 36, 42, Sebastiao Gilberto 67 and Manucho. The game seemed done only to a miracle to happen. And it did. Mali made an incredible fightback to claim a 4-4 draw in less than 15 minutes through Seydou Keita 79 and 90, Frederic Kanoute 88 and Mustapha Yatabare. “I still can't believe it happened. I've never seen anything like this. How can any team throw a 4-0 lead in such a short period of time? This is the most awkward thing I have ever seen during my 40-year old career,” said Angola coach Manuel Jose during the post-match press conference. 1992: Ghana hero Abedi “Pele” Ayew led the Black Stars to the final game after scoring three goals during the tournament and later named most valuable player but he missed the game due to suspension. After 120 minutes none of the rivals could make the difference and the game went into penalties. Ivory Coast won their first and only title until now after winning till date the longest session 11-10. Isaac Asare and Anthony Baffoe missed for Ghana while Tiehi missed once for the Elephants of Ivory Coast. Many think it is a real shame that a squad with the likes of Pele, Anthony Yeboah and Nil Lamptey missed on the trophy but surprisingly Pele revealed lately that the team was overrated. “I think we had a strong team, but not as strong as people really think it was. We had characters who really never wanted to lose, who were really mentally strong and who wanted to win everything. So that made us look very, very good,” the three time African footballer of the year said. 1970: The seventh edition of the African Cup of Nations held in Sudan witnessed of a sour end despite the hosts won their first and only title. Ghana – who reached their fourth final in a row - slammed the Ethiopian referee Tesfaye Gebreyesus for being allegedly favoring Sudan helping them to claim an undeserved 1-0 win in the final courtesy to a goal from El-Issed. The Black Stars equalized from a corner kick but the goal was ruled out for off-side. The Ghanaians refused to collect their silver medals presented by military general ruler Gaafar Nimeiry which made the Sudanese feel offended. Sudan escalated and issued a 24-hour ultimatum to leave the country in the first and only time that a national team receives a deportation order in the history of African football. They were near a diplomatic and political crises but the situation was contained later. 1957: The first final deserves was a special momentum in the African history. A triumph in itself for African football that finally gave birth to its first official competition marking a new turn for the continent in the middle of the decolonization. Egypt defeated Sudan to face Ethiopia in the final. On 16 February 1957 the Pharaohs lifted the first trophy after beating their rivals 4-0. Legendary striker Mohamed Diab El-Attar “Diba” scored Egypt's four goals to mark a record that no player has been able to erase until now. The Abdel-Aziz Salem trophy was awarded to Egypt who then went on to storm the continent with a total of seven titles, three more than their closest rival.
