Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has been left weeping as he has redeemed himself in the eyes of Black Stars fans by sending them to their first final in 18 years.
The France-based attacker scored the only goal as Ghana beat arch rivals Nigeria 1-0 on Thursday to reach the final. Gyan nearly quit the Ghana national team two years ago after being verbally abused by fans for missing chances at the continental tournament they hosted two years ago.
He broke the deadlock in the 21st minute against the run of the play with a header at the near post from Kwadwo Asamoah's corner to send theBlack Stars into the biennial tournament's final for the first time since 1992.
Gyan also scored the winner in Ghana's 1-0 win over Angola in the quarterfinals as he has taken his tournament tally to three.
The Rennes attacker, who is among several young players in the squad in the wake of injuries to several key players says they have proved their critics wrong.
"It's unbelievable," said Gyan.
"We are a young team and not many people gave us a chance of making the final." World Cup qualifier and four-time African champion Ghana will next face the winner between Algeria and Egypt, who played later Thursday in the other semifinal.