10 February 2012
Last updated at
18:42 GMT
The Equatoguinean city Bata hosts the opening ceremony of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, as a giant inflatable version of the mascot Gaguie fills the Estadio de Bata
Javier Balboa (third left and buried under a sea of hands) is mobbed after scoring the opening goal of the Nations Cup as Equatorial Guinea mark their debut in the finals with a 1-0 win over Libya, with the National Lightning's strike coming just three minutes from time
Mali's Seydou Keita offers up a prayer in gratitude after the Eagles beat Guinea 1-0 in their opening match - a result that helped the West Africans finish second in Group D behind Ghana
A Gabonese fan - wearing glasses depicting the national flags of Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Gabon - arrives on the opening day of action for the Panthers, who beat Niger 2-0 in Libreville
Zambia and Libya engage in an entertaining 2-2 draw despite being forced to play their Group A encounter on a heavily-waterlogged pitch, with Chipolopolo coach Herve Renard saying the match should never have been played afterwards
A Niger supporter shows his true colours but the Nations Cup debutants failed to win a match at the finals, losing all three of their group games. They thought they had earned their first point against Tunisia until Issam Jemaa fired home in the 89th minute to steal a win
Equatorial Guinea fans break through the police ranks as they rush to attend their match against Senegal, which the co-hosts - the lowest-ranked team in the competition - won to not only reach the quarter-finals against the odds, but also eliminate the fancied Teranga Lions from the competition
Despite the bright paint, Senegal fans look on in disconsolate fashion after their team is knocked out of the tournament. Set a target of the semi-finals before the Nations Cup began, coach Amara Traore is dismissed shortly after returning home following a finals to forget
Mohamed Ahmed Bashir celebrates his header against Angola as Sudan celebrate scoring their first Africa Cup of Nations goal in 36 years. The game would eventually end in a draw, with the Jediane Falcons winning their next Group B match (their first victory at the finals in 42 years) to earn an unexpected place in the knock-out stages. The East Africans are the only side at the finals whose entire squad plays at home.
A heavily-bandaged Remy Ebanega offers up his thanks as his Gabonese team-mates celebrates the 97th-minute goal that settled one of the games of the finals, as the Panthers beat Morocco 3-2 in Group C to knock the Atlas Lions out of the tournament
A fan of Tunisia's Carthage Eagles bangs the drum for the 2004 champions, whose Nations Cup would end in the quarter-finals at the hands of Ghana
Botswana's Zebras (in blue) made their Nations Cup debut but struggled to make any impression in Group D where their main mark was an unwanted record - being beaten 6-1 by Guinea (in red) as a side scored half a dozen goals at the Nations Cup for the first time since 1970
Burkina Faso players relax with a card game as they take time out during their disappointing Group B campaign. The Stallions finished bottom of their group but 16-year-old Bertrand Traore made history in their final game against Sudan when he came on as a substitute to become the third youngest player to ever contest a Nations Cup match
Zambia captain Chris Katongo (middle) flies into the air in celebration as his goal is enough to win Group A for the Chipolopolo, as they defeat co-hosts Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Malabo
A minute's silence is held before an empty Bata stadium in honour of the Egyptian fans who died in Port Said ahead of the first quarter-final between Zambia and Sudan, which the Chipolopolo win 3-0
Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Danilo ensures the roof comes off in the Malabo stadium as he saves Didier Drogba's first-half penalty, but the Ivory Coast captain quickly atoned - scoring twice - as the Elephants won the quarter-final 3-0 to advance to the last four
Gabon president Ali Bongo (centre) is flanked by his wife Sylvia, sporting the number 9 jersey of Panthers star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou as the trio attend the co-hosts' quarter-final against Mali in Libreville.
Gabon's Eric Mouloungui and Adama Tamboura of Mali keep the ball in focus as the pair go head-to-head during Sunday's quarter-final in Libreville
Mali goalkeeper Soumaila Diakite celebrates as Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses the only penalty in the shoot-out in Sunday's quarter-final in Libreville, a result which takes the Eagles to a remarkable fifth semi-final from just seven Nations Cup appearances
Black Star Andre 'Dede' Ayew cannot believe his luck as Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi - prostrate with mental pain - drops a deep cross at the hands of the Ghanaian to allow the West Africans to win Sunday's quarter-final 2-1 after extra-time
Substitute Emmanuel Mayuka scores a goal that sparks wild celebrations across Zambia as his 78th-minute curler is enough to upset Ghana 1-0 in Wednesday's semi-final in Bata
Zambian players and coaching staff celebrate the final whistle in their semi-final against Ghana - as the Chipolopolo book their place in the final for the first time in 16 years. More importantly, the squad will contest the Nations Cup final in Gabon, off whose coast 18 national team players died in a plane crash in 1993 - a sporting disaster that the country has never forgot.
Before Wednesday's semi-final between Ivory Coast and Mali in Libreville, the Gabonese public are treated to the unexpected sight of Brazilian legend Pele on the pitch. The following day, a statue of the three-time World Cup winner is unveiled outside the Stade de l'Amitie, with the all-time great having played in Gabon with his club Santos on a tour in 1967
Orange-clad Ivory Coast forward Gervinho wheels away in delight after scoring the only goal of the game against Mali in Wednesday's semi-final in Libreville, with the Arsenal star having run unimpeded from the halfway line before curling home his first goal of the finals
Zambia's delegation visit a Gabonese beach - off whose coast a plane carrying their national squad in 1993 crashed, killing all 30 passengers on board - on Thursday, with former captain Kalusha Bwalya (who now presides over the Zambian FA) in attendance
Libreville's Stade de l'Amitie will host Sunday's final between Ivory Coast and Zambia: but will the Ivorians fulfil their promise of this 'golden generation' or can Chipolopolo honour the dead of 1993 by winning their first title? Kick-off is at 1930 GMT.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba points at the ground after missing a penalty for the Elephants, in a key moment in the final in Libreville. The two sides would finish level on 0-0 after extra-time and the final would be decided by spot-kicks.
A dramatic penalty shoot-out is finally decided after 15 spot-kicks, with Zambia winning 8-7, after Ivory Coast striker Gervinho misses and Zambia's Stoppila Sunzu fires home to claim the Chipolopolo's first Nations Cup title.
Zambia's players celebrate their first continental triumph, after being presented with the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. The Zambians were 40-1 outsiders at the start of the tournament and become the first southern African country to win it since South Africa in 1996.
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