African Legends Cup of Nations: Yaya to meet Eto’o in the final

We’ve reached the conclusion of the inaugural African Legends Cup of Nations, with Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure set to meet in Sunday’s final after winning their respective semi-finals.

Eto’o was pitted against old foe Didier Drogba in his Final Four match-up, which promised to be a fascinating collision between two elite strikers.

Ultimately, it was perhaps more one-sided than some may have anticipated, with Eto’o winning three of the four categories.

The only area where Drogba enjoyed superiority over his long-term rival was in ‘individual accolades’, although it wasn’t enough for the Chelsea legend to reach the final.

Yaya’s semi-final against George Weah was arguably tougher to call.

While Toure won more at club level than his opponent, and clearly enjoyed more prominence during his international career, could he match the former AC Milan superstar for ‘individual accolades’ or ‘ability’.

Ultimately, the pair won two categories each, but it was Toure who ultimately progressed by a 15-point margin, setting up a dream African showdown with Eto’o.

Both of these two heavyweights—each of whom have won the African Cup of Nations, the Champions League and the African Footballer of the Year award—have endured testing runs through the Alcon.

Eto’o eliminated Rabah Madjer in the First Round, before dispatching compatriot—and his personal hero—Roger Milla in the Round of 16.

The quarters pitted Eto’o against Nigeria maestro Jay-Jay Okocha, but despite intense support on social media, the Super Eagles playmaker didn’t have enough to reach the Final Four.

In the other side of the brackets, Toure eliminated two Egyptian players back to back in the opening rounds, dispatching Wael Gomaa and Hossam Hassan to reach the Last Eight.

In the quarters, he was pitted against Michael Essien—the last Ghanaian player standing—in a mammoth clash between two of the finest midfielders of the Premier League era.

Ultimately, Toure’s greater success both at club and international level, as well as his four African Footballer of the Year awards, was enough to see him through to the final…and Sunday’s showdown with Eto’o.