Saved by the Lots

The Syli Nationals of Guinea became the last team to qualify to the quarter-final stage of the AFCON 2015 tournament on Thursday after lots were drawn to separate them and the Eagles of Mali as the two sides were tied on points and goals after the three Group D matches.

The event took place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea as official each of the two countries were present together with two officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The officials from the contesting nations were called into a bowl with two green balls and were asked to pick one each and reveal the number on the piece of paper which had been placed in the ball.

Amara Diabo, Guinea's representative, had No. 2 boldly written on a piece of paper stacked in his ball which meant that the Syli Nationals have progressed to the last eight of the competition whiles the Eagles had been gate-crashed despite not losing a match.

The last time such a bizarre situation happened in the history of the African Cup of Nations was in 1988 where the Desert Warriors of Algeria qualified at the expense of the Elephants of Ivory Coast.

Guinea will thus come face-to-face with the Black Stars of Ghana in Malabo on Sunday whiles the real match fit for the heavens to decide will be the one between Ivory Coast and Algeria.

The full fixtures for the quarter-finals is as follows;

Saturday
Congo vrs Cong DR
Tunisia vrs Equatorial Guinea

Sunday
Ghana vrs Guinea
Ivory Coast vrs Algeria