LEAD: Ghana, Mali snatch final two places in quarter-finals

By Peter Auf der Heyde Feb 1, 2012, 22:03 GMT

Libreville, Gabon - Ghana and Mali snatched the two remaining quarter-final places on Wednesday at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mali came from behind in Libreville to beat Botswana 2-1, while the Black Stars, who are one of the tournament favorites, were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Guinea.

Ghana top group D with seven points and will face Tunisia in the round of the last eight, while Mali, who finished with six points, play co-hosts Gabon.

Ghana's assistant coach Kwesi Appiah said they had done what they needed to do. 'At the end of the day, the most important thing is making sure you qualify.'

Mali coach Alain Giresse, who is a former Gabon coach, said that he was looking forward to taking on his old team.

'I will not have to prepare a lot, as I know most of the players,' the former French international said. 'However, it will not be something personal for me.'

In Libreville, several thousand Mali fans in the Stade de l'Amitie saw underdogs Botswana, competing for the first time at the showpiece event of African football, take the lead just six minutes after the restart as Mogakolodi Ngele was set up by Moemedi Moatlhaping.

Within a few minutes the West Africans had drawn level through Garra Dembele, who was on hand to score after goalkeeper Modiri Marumo had failed to hold onto a ball.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita gave Mali the lead in the 74th minute after playing a one-two with Cheick Diabate.

At the end of their game, the Mali players had to endure some anxious moments from the pitch watching the remaining minutes of the Guinea match on the stadium's big-screen.

Dembele said that they felt a lot of tension waiting for the other result, especially as the signal broke off with two minutes to go, prompting a huge outcry from the Mali fans who had remained behind.

'We were very excited when we heard the result and very happy,' the SC Freiburg striker said. 'We wanted to share that with the Mali fans, and it was fantastic to be able to celebrate with them.'

In Franceville, Guinea went into the game knowing that should Mali beat Botswana in their match, which was played at the same time, they would have to beat the Black Stars.

Somewhat against the run of play, Ghana went ahead in the 28th minute with what must be one of the goals of the tournament, as Emmanuel Agyemang Badu flicked the ball up to his right foot and unleashed a powerful kick from the edge of the area into the top corner.

Ghanaian goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey seemed at fault when Abdoul Razzagui Camara equalized in first-half injury time. The winger seemed to attempt to cross the ball, but instead it flew over the goalkeeper before floating into goal.

Guinea's hopes of finding a winner were set back in the 70th minute when defender Mamadou Dioulde Bah received a second booking and was sent off.

Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer criticized the decision of the referee and said Bah should not have been shown the first yellow card: 'We all know that Ghana is a great team, but it didn't need the help of the referee. I am very disappointed with the performance of the referee.'

Guinea continued pushing forward but failed to find a winner, and the final whistle in Franceville brought on wild celebrations in Libreville as the Mali players rushed to their fans and danced in front of the stands.

The quarter-finals see co-hosts Equatorial Guinea against Ivory Coast, while Zambia take on surprise package Sudan.