The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Final was a football match that took place on 8 February 2015 to determine the winner of that year's African football championship. The match was held at the Estadio de Bata (pictured) in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, and was contested by Ghana and Ivory Coast. The final was 0–0 at the end of normal time, and there were also no goals in extra time, with few clear-cut chances for either team. With the match finishing level, it was decided by a penalty shoot- out. After every outfield player had taken a shot the score was tied at 8–8. The match was then decided by Ivorian goalkeeper Boubacar Barry, who saved an attempt from his Ghana counterpart Brimah Razak and then scored himself past Razak to give Ivory Coast a 9–8 shoot-out win and the title. The victory was Ivory Coast's second Africa Cup of Nations victory and lifted them from third to second place among African nations in the FIFA World Rankings. Ghana's Afriyie Acquah was named the man of the match.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_Final

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1840:

British representatives and Māori chiefs first signed the Treaty of Waitangi, widely regarded to be the founding document of New Zealand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi

1952:

Elizabeth II became the queen regnant of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon upon the death of her father, King George VI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI

1976:

Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admitted that the company had paid out approximately US$3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_bribery_scandals

2018:

The SpaceX launch vehicle Falcon Heavy made its maiden flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_Heavy_test_flight

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

koha: 1. (New Zealand) A Māori tradition of reciprocal giving of gifts. 2. (New Zealand, by extension) A voluntary donation given for a service that has been provided. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/koha

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

With the destructive power of today's weapons, keeping the peace is not just a goal; it's a sacred obligation. But maintaining peace requires more than sincerity and idealism — more than optimism and good will. As you know well, peace is a product of hard, strenuous labor by those dedicated to its preservation. It requires realism, not wishful thinking.   --Ronald Reagan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan