Guinea win quarter-final ‘lottery’

Guinea will meet Ghana in the Orange Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final after progressing at the expense of Mali in the drawing of lots to decide Group D runners-up.

Cote d’Ivoire were already through as group winners, but Guinea and Mali had to wait for the luck of the lot after ending the first round with identical records.

A win for either in the last group game would have been enough to seal qualification, but Modibo Maiga’s 47th minute equaliser earned Mali a 1-1 draw after Kevin Constant had put Guinea ahead.

Amara Diabo, an official with Guinea’s sports ministry, picked the winning ball out of a bowl at the start of an organising committee meeting at a hotel in Malabo.

Guinea have not qualified for the quarter-finals since 2008 and have not progressed beyond the last eight since 1976.