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S. Africa falls out Mali, Nigeria make semifinals at Nations CupPosted: Sunday February 03, 2002 1:04 PMUpdated: Sunday February 03, 2002 4:47 PM KAYES, Mali (Reuters) -- Host nation Mali deservedly beat former African champions South Africa 2-0 on Sunday to reach the last four of the African Nations Cup and spark scenes of national rejoicing. Garba Lawal put Nigeria into the semifinals with an 80th-minute goal Sunday as the Super Eagles beat Ghana 1-0. Mali midfielder Bassala Toure's thunderous shot after an hour set up the victory after a slow and cautious start to the much-anticipated match and substitute Drame Coulibaly wrapped up the issue, making it 2-0 in stoppage time. Mali now return to their capital Bamako on Thursday where they face either defending champions Cameroon or Egypt. While Toure blasted the ball home, Coulibaly tapped home Toure's square pass in stoppage time to send the crowd into raptures. Coulibaly then took off his shirt, laid it on the pitch and danced around it with his team mates in one of the more off-beat goal celebrations seen for some time. Toure proved the hero but was injured after the match in a crowd invasion after being mobbed by fans who rushed on the pitch at the finish. Slow game South Africa had purposely slowed down play in the first part of the game and deadened the potentially explosive atmosphere in the 15,000-capacity stadium but the ploy back-fired when Toure jinxed his way through before firing wide of goalkeeper Hans Vonk's outstretched arm. Mali created the better chances but there were no clear-cut chances in a game where both defenses gave little away. Captain Soumailia Coulibaly's square cross after eight minutes presented a half chance for Mali striker Mamadou Bagayoko but he reacted too slowly to take advantage. The hosts had a scare four minutes later when Benni McCarthy intercepted a shallow back pass by Fousseini Diawara but Mali goalkeeper Mahamadou Sidibe quickly reclaimed the loose ball before the South African striker could thread a pass through. Sibusiso Zuma had South Africa's first effort on the Malian goal seconds before the end of the first half - an indication of how unadventurous the World Cup finalists were. Reflex save But Mali came within inches of the opening goal nine minutes into the second half when Seydou Keita's chipped free kick sailed over all the players in the penalty area and needed a reflex save from Vonk to keep it out. Then came Toure's snap fire goal, which brought the crowd to life and injected some pace into the game. Mali's German-based defender Boubacar Diarra cleared off the line in the 75th minute from South African substitute Delron Buckley, who volleyed a loose ball goalwards after Mali had failed to properly clear a corner. The result ensures Mali have reached the Nations Cup semifinal in all three of their appearances in the African championship. South Africa joins Tunisia on the list of World Cup finalists who have been eliminated from the tournament. Nigeria tops Ghana 1-0, advances to semifinalsBAMAKO, Mali -- Garba Lawal finally took advantage of Nigeria's second-half dominance at the March 26 stadium, blasting in a shot from outside the area after Ghana thought it had cleared the ball out of danger. Nigeria, which has won two African Cups (1980, '94), will play the Senegal-Congo (Zaire) winner in the semifinals Thursday. The Super Eagles, playing with black arm bands in memory of the more than 1,000 killed in explosions last week in Lagos, controlled most of the play in the second half. Lawal, Julius Aghahowa and Nkwanko Kanu all missed chances to score while Ghana's Isaac Boakye had his side's only chance in the second half. Nigeria, which has yet to concede a goal in its four games in the tournament, got a scare in the 33rd minute when goalie Ike Shorunmu was hurt in a collision with teammate Isaac Okoronkwo in front of the net. The keeper was taken to the hospital and replaced by Murphy Akanji. Shorunmu's condition was not immediately known. Each team had its chances in the first half, but it was Nigeria that nearly netted two goals just before the whistle. Sunday Oliseh blasted an indirect free kick from 35 meters (yards) that was just touched over the crossbar by Ghana keeper Sammy Adjei in the 42nd minute. Two minutes later, Aghahowa sent a header that almost hit its target, just shaving the bar. Ghana's best chance of the half came in the 21st minute when Derek Boateng ran through the Nigerian defense but sent his shot from a difficult angle into the side netting. Nigeria had a pair of early chances, but Adjei made a diving save on Lawal's hard shot in the 16th, and Finidi George's rocket from 15 meters (yards) was deflected out of bounds one minute later. Nigeria, which has several players at top European clubs, is one of the strongest of the five African teams heading to this year's World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. Mali-South Africa SummaryAfrican Nations Cup quarterfinal Scorers: Bassala Toure 60, Dramane Coulibaly 89 Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 15,000 Teams: Mali: 1-Mahamadou Sidibe, 4-Adama Coulibaly, 5-Fousseini Diawara, 15-Boubacar Diarra, 19-Adama Diakite, 12-Seydou Keita, 8-Bassala Toure, 10-Soumaila Coulibaly (17-Dramane Coulibaly, 82), 6-Mahamadou Diarra, 11-Djbril Sidibe, 9-Mamadou Bagayoko. South Africa: 1-Hans Vonk, 2-Mbulelo Mabizela (11-Bradley August, 86), 3-Bradley Carnell, 13-Pierre Issa, 19-Aaron Mokoena, 21-Eric Tinkler, 8-Thabo Mngomeni, 7-Quinton Fortune (18-Delron Buckley, 73), 14-Siyabonga Nomvete (9-Shaun Bartlett, 66), 15-Sibusiso Zuma, 17-Benni McCarthy. Referee: Arturo Ibanez (Spain) Nigeria-Ghana SummaryAfrican Nations Cup quarterfinal Scorers: Garba Lawal 80 Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 25,000 Teams: Nigeria: 1-Ike Shorunmo (22-Murphy Akanji 38); 2-Joseph Yobo, 6-Taribo West, 5-Isaac Okoronkwo, 14-Ifeanyi Udeze, 15- Sunday Oliseh, 10-Austin Okocha (16-Wilson Oruma 90), 7-Finidi George (8-Yakubu Aiyegbeni 90), 11-Garba Lawal, 17-Julius Aghahowa, 4-Nkwanko Kanu Ghana: 12-Sammy Adjei; 6-Yaw Amankwah Mireku, 19-Kofi Amponsah, 5-John Mensah, 21-John Painstill, 15-Princeton Owusu- Ansah, 20-Abdul Razak Ibrahim, 9-Prince Amoako (16-Emmanuel Duah 88), 3-Emmanuel Kuffour, 10-Derrick Boateng (7-Matthew Amoah 88) 13-Isaac Boakye
Referee: Mohammed Guezzaz (Morocco)
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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