LUSAKA, Zambia -- With an escort of jet fighters screaming above and tens of thousands of screaming fans on the ground, Zambias victorious soccer team flew home Monday to a heros welcome. The Copper Bullets, or Chipolopolo as the national team is called, descended from the plane to meet ecstatic fans and show off the African Cup of Nations trophy that has eluded the southern African nation for more than 30 years. "Go Zambia, go!" the crowd roared. The players were driven off on the backs of army trucks, on roads packed with cheering Zambians, to the showgrounds where speeches and a concert are planned. Zambia beat favourites Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a nerve-racking upset Sunday at the African Cup finals in Libreville, Gabon. Many attributed the victory to an amazing team spirit from a crew that fielded only one international player. Zambia were the underrated underdogs at the African tournament, much like their country, which boasts a thriving democracy, a less-travelled destination for African wildlife and the spectacular Victoria Falls -- along with a booming copper industry that recently catapulted the country to the status of lower middle-income. First off the plane Monday was Vice-President Guy Scott, believed to be the highest-ranking white man in Africa and a sign that Zambia has put behind its colonial past. Last off was team captain Christopher Katongo, standing between Zambian football association president Kalusha Bwalya and the teams French coach Herve Renard. It was a bittersweet victory. Last week after arriving for the finals, the Zambian players laid wreaths on a stretch of Libreville beach not far from where a Zambian military plane crashed into the ocean soon after takeoff in 1993, killing 25 players and officials on board. Bwalya is the only surviving member of that team, escaping the crash because he was flying from Europe. "The pain of that crash still lingers and we must all remember that those players perished while trying to achieve victory and honour for our beloved country," former President Rupiah Banda declared before he departed with a government delegation Sunday. The players had vowed to win the 2012 championship to appease the souls of a lost generation of football stars. Back in 1993, state broadcasters interrupted normal programming to announce the crash in the eight languages spoken in Zambia. In Lusaka, the capital, men and women wept in offices and on the streets. On Monday, there were only cheers. Zambians poured out of their houses, clubs and bars to celebrate in the streets early Monday, defying Police Minister Kennedy Sakeni, who said there would be no reason for people to leave their homes to celebrate. "It is a dream come true," said David Phiri, a plumber. Then he blew hard on his vuvuzela, the piercing trumpet heard around the world during broadcasts from the World Cup in neighbouring South Africa in 2010. Jubilant Zambians also honked the horns of cars draped in their flag, shouted from windows and sang football songs. "It was written in the stars that we will be the champions," Winfreda Muyunda said breathlessly as she ran out to join a street party that had converged in front of a Lusaka police station. In the lead-up to the final, Zambians at home and abroad rejected predictions that Ivory Coast would be too strong for their Chipolopolo. Traders have done a roaring business in shirts, scarves, caps and traditional cotton wrappers known as chitenge in national colours, as well as national flags. At least two planeloads of football fans took off from Lusaka early Sunday for Libreville. President Michael Sata gave Scott the honour of representing his government at the final. Scott was accompanied by Kenneth Kaunda, who led Zambia to independence from Britain in 1964 and was its president for 27 years, and Satas predecessor, Banda. Sata was elected last year in his fourth attempt at the presidency, campaigning as the champion of poor Zambians to oust a party that had held power for 20 years. His governments first budget doubled the royalties paid by copper mining companies, from 3 to 6 per cent. It also made primary health care free and lifted the tax burden from workers earning less than about $400 a month. In July, the World Bank raised Zambias status from a lower-income to a middle-income country, when its per capita annual national income passed the $1,006 barrier. jerseys from china . -- Albert Pujols ripped a long drive down the left-field line, and the Los Angeles Angels rose in the dugout along with the crowd. nfl jerseys china .J. Allmendinger this week to discuss his future with the team. Speaking to reporters at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sundays Brickyard 400, Penske acknowledged that there were no guarantees Allmendinger would get his ride in the No. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinapla... . The Crimson Tide edged out Oklahoma State in the final round of voting Sunday and will play the top-ranked Tigers in the BCS national championship game on Jan. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinaplay.com/]wholesale jerseys . His father, Frank, played pro football in the United States Football League in the 1980s. His brother, Ryan, played centre at USC and now plays for the Carolina Panthers. cheap jerseys from china . -- Scott Clemmensen got the best of the Montreal Canadiens yet again.TORONTO -- Glenn Howard capped the curling season in style Sunday by hitting a clutch double takeout with his final shot to win the Players Championship at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. He also let the stacked field know that he just might be the skip to beat at the Olympic trials later this year. Howard, from Coldwater, Ont., scored two in the final end for a 4-3 victory over Winnipegs Mike McEwen in the final Grand Slam event of the season. Howard won all seven of his games against a field that included top domestic and international competition. "Were as good as anybody right now," Howard said. "I cant wait to get out to those trials in December and see if we can let the old guys keep playing." The 50-year-old skip and teammates Wayne Middaugh, Brent Laing and Craig Savill have been strong again this season after an excellent 2012 campaign. Howard won the Tim Hortons Brier last year and followed it up with his fourth world title. He owns top spot on the World Curling Tours Order of Merit and took the bronze at the recent national playdowns. Winning the last Grand Slam event on his final shot was a nice way to head into the summer. "This is a big event, this is 15 of the best teams in the world and we just won it," Howard said. "So it doesnt get any better. This is harder to win than the Brier, this is harder to win than the worlds as far as Im concerned because youve got all the best teams here. "So to win it, youre pumped." Howard and McEwen both seemed content to chip away throughout the game with neither skip able to generate much offence. McEwen was light with his final throw in the last end, giving Howard the chance to go for two instead of a single that would have forced an extra end. "Only one team gets to win their last game and that happens to be us this year," Laing said. "So yeah, its awesome." Earlier, Scotlands Eve Muirhead defeated Margaretha Sigfridsson 8-5 in the womens final for her first career Grand Slam title. The win came just a few weeks after Muirhead beat the Swedish skip in the gold-medal game at the world championship in Latvia. "We knew we had to be sharp against the Swedish girls," Muirhead said. "We always have huge battles against them and we have a pretty high success rate against them in a final. "To get another one is great." In the mens final, McEwen opened the scoring with a single in the first end. Howard had a chance for a double takeout for two in the third end but settled for one to pull even. McEwen hhad the hammer for the first time in the fourth end but couldnt clear out both stones in the four-foot ring, allowing Howard to steal one for the lead.dddddddddddd. After a blank end in the fifth, McEwen hit a tap for one to tie it. Howard had final throw in the seventh end but hit a guard to give McEwen a steal of one and a 3-2 lead. Howard reached the final with a 6-3 victory over 2013 Tim Hortons Brier champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. McEwen advanced with a 5-2 win over Jeff Stoughton of Winnipeg. The tournament also finalized several berths for the Olympic trials -- the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings -- this December. Three spots in both mens and womens draws were finalized before the Players Championship. Howard, Stoughton and Kevin Martin had already locked up their berths for the mens tournament. Additional spots -- three for the men and three for the women -- were determined from the Canadian Team Ranking System standings. McEwen, Kevin Koe and John Epping were the latest mens skips to earn berths. Epping earned his entry when Jacobs lost in the semifinal. For the womens draw, Jennifer Jones, Heather Nedohin and Stefanie Lawton already had spots. Rachel Homan, Sherry Middaugh and Chelsea Carey will now join them in Winnipeg. The winning teams at the Olympic trials will represent Canada at the 2014 Sochi Games. Howard has never represented Canada at an Olympic Games. Martin won gold at the Vancouver Games in 2010, beating Howard in the 2009 trials in Edmonton to qualify. Notes: Howards team earned $76,000 ($26,000 purse share plus $50,000 bonus) for the victory, while Muirheads team earned $35,500 ($23,000 purse share plus $12,500 bonus). Muirheads rink became the first European team to ever win a Grand Slam event. ... McEwen won $45,500 ($15,500 purse and $30,000 bonus) and Sigfridsson earned $20,500 ($15,500 purse and $5,000 bonus) ... It was Howards second Grand Slam win of the season. He also took the Canadian Open in Kelowna, B.C. ... The remaining berths for the Olympic trials -- two for the men and two for the women -- will be finalized at a pre-trials event in Kitchener, Ont., in November. ... Team McEwen second Matt Wozniak wore a Toronto Blue Jays hat for the final. ... Attendance figures werent immediately released. A few hundred fans were on hand in the morning and the 2,800-seat venue appeared about one-quarter full for the mens final in the afternoon. ... Howard lost to Epping in the 2012 final at Summerside, P.E.I. ... Lawton defeated Cathy Overton-Clapham in last years womens final. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '