Falaye Sacko missed the decisive penalty for Mali in the shootout as Equatorial Guinea won it 6-5 to move into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
After 120 minutes of goalless action, it was a shootout full of drama, with Pablo Ganet seeing his effort, that would have sent Equatorial Guinea through, saved. Both sides then held their nerve as it went to the eighth takers, when Mali’s centre-back Sacko saw his tame effort saved by Jesus Owono.
Equatorial Guinea are the last side to book their place in the last eight, where they will face Senegal.
Mali started the better of the two sides, and nearly took the lead when Ibrahima Kone fired a shot at goal after a smart turn, but it flew wide of the post.
It was a relatively scrappy affair for much of the opening period, the biggest chance falling to Amadou Haidara. A free-kick fell to the midfielder ten-yards out, but he rushed his effort on the stretch and could only scuff it straight at the goalkeeper.
A few minutes before the break, Mali thought they had a penalty after Moussa Doumbia went down in the box, but replays showed their was minimal contact and the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
It was more of the same after the break, with Mali largely on top but on the whole unable to create any big chances.
That changed on the hour mark, after brilliant work from Yves Bissouma. He cut inside in the box, squared it to Mohamed Camara who blazed an effort over the bar with the goalkeeper out of position.
Massadio Haidara was played in on the left wing, he fired a ball across the face of goal but it had just too much pace on for Kone, who very nearly had a tap-in.
Equatorial Guinea started to grow into the match as the second-half wore on, aided by some energetic substitutions, and Emilio Nsue had a chance to win it in stoppage-time but he fired over the bar as it finished goalless after 90 minutes.
They were the better team at the start of extra-time too, with a renewed intensity to their game. The final ball continued to be lacking though as they failed to carve out a clear chance and the match went to penalties.
The shootout got off to a disastrous start for Equatorial Guinea, when Nsue lifted the very first penalty over the bar. Carlos Akapo then pulled off an audacious panenka, before Mali’sMassadio Haidara had his effort saved to level it up.
Hamari Traore’s miss gave Ganet the chance to win it, which he couldn’t take, but Equatorial Guinea were perfect from that moment on and their progression was sealed when Sacko’s effort was comfortably saved.
