Bata - Yaya Toure will make the difference on Sunday when he leads Ivory Coast out against neighbours Ghana in the Africa Nations Cup final, his coach Herve Renard said on Saturday.
"I'm sure Yaya will play a decisive game. He will arrive in time. You saw he scored a fantastic goal in the semi-final and that was not by chance.
"When you are fantastic player, these key important games are for you. They are always ready. For them there is no added pressure. The adrenalin of the competition is making all the difference," Renard told reporters.
"I'm sure Yaya will play a very good final."
It will be a third final appearance for the 31-year-old Toure, who was on the losing side in 2006 in Egypt and in 2012 when the Ivorians lost to Zambia on penalties.
Toure had been out of sorts in the months leading up to this tournament but a trademark goal from the edge of the area, hit with incredible power and accuracy, put the Ivory Coast on their way to a 3-1 semi-final win over Democratic Republic of Congo in Bata on Wednesday.
The Ivorians will, however, be without midfielder Cheick Tiote, who has not recovered from an ankle injury picked up early on in the tournament.
"We are focused on the target. We have not talked a lot before the tournament about our ambitions but we know why we are here and what we need to do," Renard added.
"There will be a time to talk later bur most important is to play on Sunday."
- Reuters
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