AFCON 2017: Traoré freekick sinks Black Stars to 4th place

An Alain Traoré freekick in the last-minute clinched the Bronze medal for the Stallions of Burkina Faso at the expense of the Black Stars in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The match played on Saturday at the Stade de Port-Gentil was the third-place playoff of the tournament. Avram Grant rung the changes with his predictable starting line-up, bringing on goalkeeper Richard Ofori for Razak Brimah. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who captained the side, Bernard Tekpetey and Ebenezer Ofori also started for the first time in the tournament. Harrison Afful and Daniel Amartey kept their starting roles, making them the only two players to have started all of Ghana’s games at the tournament. The two neighbouring nations went on break without either side finding the back of the net as they shared possession. But it was the Stallions who went ahead with a minute to end proceedings. Kayserispor’s Traoré hit a freekick past Ofori to put the game beyond the Black Stars, who led possession at the end, nonetheless. The loss is Ghana’s third at the tournament, having lost one each at the group – to Egypt – and knockout – to Cameroon – stages. The team is expected to return home to concentrate on the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|editors.3news.com|Ghana Follow @kwame_amoh