Ten-man Mali beat Tunisia on penalties to reach Cup of Nations quarters
El Bilal Toure netted the decisive penalty as 10-man Mali triumphed over Tunisia 3-2 in the shoot-out on Saturday, advancing to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals following a 1-1 draw after extra time in their last-16 encounter.
Tunisia seemed poised to secure victory against a Mali team reduced to 10 players for much of the match, when substitute Firas Chaouat nodded in the winner for the Carthage Eagles in the 88th minute.
Mali saw defender Woyo Coulibaly dismissed in the 26th minute at Casablanca's Mohammed V Stadium, yet they gained a lifeline with a penalty awarded in stoppage time.
Lassine Sinayoko slotted home from the spot, forcing extra time and ultimately leading to the crucial penalty decider.
Skipper Yves Bissouma, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, sent Mali's opening kick high over the crossbar, but Ali Abdi faltered for Tunisia, and Eagles keeper Djigui Diarra then stopped two more attempts, paving the way for Toure to seal the win.
Under Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, Mali now face a quarter-final clash next Friday in Tangiers with West African rivals Senegal, who earlier staged a comeback to defeat Sudan 3-1.
"I told my players before kick-off they were already heroes, and now that word fits perfectly," Saintfiet remarked.
"Each one battled for their nation and gave all to keep us in the tournament, with the goalkeeper proving vital in the shoot-out."
Heroics in the shoot-out
Mali, yet to claim the Cup of Nations title, faced an uphill struggle after right-back Coulibaly, who plays for Sassuolo in Italy's Serie A, received a straight red for dragging his studs along Hannibal Mejbri's calf.
Despite the disadvantage, the score stayed level, and extra time beckoned until Tunisia capitalised on their extra man, with Elias Saad delivering a cross that allowed Club Africain forward Chaouat to outjump his defender and head into the net.
The majority of the 41,982 fans in Morocco's biggest city erupted in joy, many locals supporting their North African neighbours.
However, what looked like a sealed result took a stunning turn in added time, as South African official Abongile Tom awarded a penalty after the ball hit Tunisia defender Yassine Meriah's arm in the box.
Auxerre's Sinayoko stayed composed during a lengthy VAR review before dispatching the spot-kick in the 96th minute.
Tunisia pressed hard for openings during extra time amid pouring rain, which drove numerous fans from the mostly open stadium.
Chaouat found the net once more early in the second half of extra time, but the linesman's flag ruled it out for offside.
The penalty shoot-out loomed as expected, with Bissouma and Nene Dorgeles missing for Mali.
Still, Abdi's error combined with Diarra's stops against Elias Achouri and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane meant Toure could step forward and score, despite his earlier group-stage miss from the spot against Zambia in the same venue.