Player Ratings: Zambia 1-0 Ghana

A man of the match performance. Things could have gone terribly wrong for Zambia within the first ten minutes of the match but a terrific penalty stop from the goalkeeper saved his side.

Did not award Jordan Ayew space to drive down the left wing and left the Ghana man to continually come back inside which hampered his ability to put decent quality into the box.

: Was guilty of standing off the Ghana attackers at times but his positioning was excellent throughout the match and contributed highly to the solid Zambia defensive unit, particularly in the latter stages when the team was under heavy pressure.

Dealt with Gyan fairly well as Ghana resorted to high balls into the box to create chances. Kept things tight in the penalty area which squeezed the space in the box for Ghana players to operate.

Made a very clumsy challenge on Kwadwo Asamoah in the opening minutes in the penalty area which resulted in a penalty kick that could have been disastrous for Zambia. Luckily for him Gyan missed. Was shaky in the opening twenty minutes and too often cleared the ball completely out of play. Calmed down as the match went on, however.

A very solid display from the defender. Kicked and headed away every ball that came into the Zambia box throughout the match and put his body in front of every shot. A performance that summed up the determination of Zambia.

Delivery into the box could have been much better but on a number of occasions he took the pressure off his side with a number of dribbles down the wing. Should have done better when he looked to be through on goal after a pass from Katongo but languished on the ball which allowed Boye to intercept.

Had a number of opportunities from set-pieces to put good deliveries into the box but his crosses lacked any kind of pace. However, made a couple of driving runs through the middle of midfield and picked out a couple of nice passes.

Most important factor of his performance was his constant closing down of the Ghana defenders and deep lying midfielders. Showed a couple of moments of impressive trickery and acted as a good link between midfield and attack.

Squandered Zambia's best chance of the first half when he broke through on goal but rashly sliced the ball by the left-hand post. Attempted to hold the ball up well and linked up well with Mayuka after his introduction.

Struggled terribly to hold up possession or create any play in the final third. Barely had a sniff in the opening 45 minutes and failed to establish a link with Katongo. Was replaced by Mayuka at the break.

Some sympathy must be given for the Ghana goalkeeper. Had next to nothing to do in the match except picking the ball out of his net from the Zambia goal. Distribution was quick and accurate. Unlucky to be on the losing team.

Had a dominant match, particularly in the first half. Zambia were only really awarded one opening during his time on the pitch as he handled Chimanga, Katongo and Mayuka well. Came off with an injury half way through the second half and Ghana looked more frail.

Saw plenty of the ball down the right-hand side but did not make the most of the acres of space he was given. On one occasion, criminally opted to shoot from a position on the wing when a number of team-mates stood unmarked in the box.

Attacking play was decent as most of Ghana's play came down the left through his partnership with Jordan Ayew. Got down the wing with excellent athleticism but ultimately could not pick out that elusive cross into the area.

Earned a very silly booking that would have seen him miss the final had Ghana qualified. However, acted professionally and got on with his job even though he knew he would miss the final. Should have scored from a header in the six-yard box that he sent over the bar.

Despite the result, had a relatively comfortable match in midfield. Was never under a great deal of pressure and neatly played the ball around. However, did not offer much in attack.

Orchestrated the possession in the game for the majority of the match. Did his job excellently in the middle of the park and continually won the ball and distributed well. However, his performance will be remembered by two silly yellow cards that saw him sent off.

A number of penetrating runs from the Udinese man caused Zambia a number of problems throughout the match. Came very close to scoring when his curled shot from the edge of the area went a whisker past the left-hand post.

Should have done better with a couple of headers at goal. Was unlucky not to have decent service into the box but his missed penalty in the opening 10 minutes has probably cost Ghana a place in the final.

Delivery was very hot and cold throughout the match. Considering the number of set-piece opportunities that Ghana had, a lot more chances should have been created. His crosses into the box were either decent but not converted, or very flat.

Was Ghana's biggest threat in the final third and tested Mweene with a couple of well struck shots from the edge of the area. However, passed up a golden opportunity when he hit a fresh air shot at the back post while standing unmarked after a free kick into the box.