AFCON 2015: CAF Releases Tournament Statistics Following Ivory Coast Triumph
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the official statistics for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which concluded with Ivory Coast’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over Ghana in the final on 8 February.
The tournament, held in Equatorial Guinea, delivered a total of 68 goals across 31 matches, producing an average of 2.12 goals per game — slightly lower than the 1.87 average recorded at the end of the group stage. Fifteen matches ended in a draw, including 10 that finished 1-1.
Leading Goalscorers
Five players finished joint-top scorers with three goals each:
Thievy Bifouma (Congo)
Javier Balboa (Equatorial Guinea)
André Ayew (Ghana)
Dieumerci Mbokani (DR Congo)
Ahmed Akaïchi (Tunisia)
A host of players, including Wilfried Bony, Gervinho, Max Gradel (Ivory Coast), and Christian Atsu (Ghana), followed with two goals apiece.
Milestones and Memorable Moments
Fastest Goal: Given Singuluma (Zambia) struck after just 64 seconds against DR Congo.
Latest Goals: Gervinho (Ivory Coast), Javier Balboa (Equatorial Guinea), Moussa Sow (Senegal), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), and Dieumerci Mbokani (DR Congo) all scored in stoppage time past the 90th minute.
Extra-Time Matches: Only two games went to extra time — Equatorial Guinea vs Tunisia (quarter-final) and the final between Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Biggest Wins: Ghana recorded the tournament’s most emphatic scorelines, defeating Guinea and hosts Equatorial Guinea 3-0.
Historic Goal: Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso scored the 1,500th goal in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations during the semi-final, 58 years after the competition’s inception in 1957.
Penalties and Own Goals
Seven penalties were awarded during the tournament, with five converted successfully. Notably, Javier Balboa scored twice from the spot for Equatorial Guinea.
Two penalties were missed — by Tokelo Rantie (South Africa) and Seydou Keita (Mali).
An own goal was recorded by South Africa’s Thulani Hlatshwayo in their match against Algeria.
Legacy
CAF’s report underlines not only the competitive nature of the 2015 edition but also the individual brilliance on display. It marked Ivory Coast’s second AFCON title and showcased the emergence of new stars and enduring legends. Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso joined Nigerian great Jay-Jay Okocha in the tournament’s record books, with Okocha having scored AFCON’s 1,000th goal in 2004.
