PLAYING FOR PRIDE: Burkina Faso, Ghana battle for third-place finish

Burkina Faso's defender Bakary Kone (L) challenges Egypt's forward Mohamed Salah during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final football match between Burkina Faso and Egypt at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on February 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO

Third-place playoffs. These are fixtures many football teams would hardly want to take part in, given a choice.

It is more of a consolation game than a competitive encounter. To most people, this is a fixture which is greeted with muted cheers and mixed feelings while to others, condescension is the description they give to these bronze medal matches.