Sport
Africa cup of nations 2012 Update: Ghana, Mali advance to quarterfinals
Even with five minutes of stoppage time left, the Guineans couldn’t overcome their one-man deficit with a winning goal that would have left all three teams on six points, and the last two quarterfinal places to be decided by number of goals scored.
Ghana went through, even if the four-time champion wasn’t overly impressive.
“It was just important that we qualified for the next stage. At the end of the day, the most important thing is making sure you qualify,” assistant coach Kwesi Appiah said.
Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer praised his team for its spirited performance but criticized the refereeing of South African Daniel Bennett.
“Fouls, fouls, fouls against us,” Dussuyer said. “We all know that Ghana is a great team but it didn’t need the help of the referee.”
The African Cup has two days off before Saturday’s first two quarterfinals, and the time will likely be spent reflecting on Egypt’s worst case of football violence and one of African football’s lowest moments.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
