Bafana get a shot at revenge against Mali

South Africa will meet Mali in the quarterfinals of the 29th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations after the West Africans drew 1-1 against the Democratic Republic of Congo here last night.

This presents Bafana Bafana with a perfect opportunity to avenge the quarterfinal defeat they suffered at the hands of Mali, hosts of the 2002 tournament . It was also the last time Bafana made it to the knockout stages of the competition.

The game started with a collective roar of 20000 DRC supporters when Diudonne Mbokani placed a third-minute penalty in the top corner as early as the third minute.

Sensing an upset against last year's third-placed finishers, the Congolese danced and cheered.

A drum has never been beaten so hard.

By the time Ilunga Diba was brought down in the second minute , Mbokani had already struck the upright with a ferocious left foot shot.

Mali dizzily got up from the canvas and hit back 12 minutes later when Adama Tamboura created their first real chance at goal. Italian Serie A-based forward Mahamadou Samassa slotted calmly, silencing the vociferous crowd.

Sanity resumed 15 minutes later as the teams were locked in a midfield arm-wrestle.

The second half was more subdued than the first, which suited Mali most as a draw would have been enough to earn them a ticket to the next stage. Chances were limited and the midfield was a war zone. But had Diba, who went on a 30m-run, crossed into the corridor of uncertainty, DRC might have been ahead.

Pony-tailed Congolese goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba, used to doing his crazy bum dance, forgot that his hands were made for stopping shots and nearly let a Samassa stinger slip through his fingers.

DRC coach Claude Le Roy, who was on his feet throughout the match, had panic written all over his face as the minutes ticked by and his men began losing grip of the game.

They needed a goal urgently. It didn't come.

Mazola Molefe reports that Ghana marksman Asamoah Gyan silenced his detractors at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium last night when he scored the opener and set up Christian Atsu and John Boye for the Black Stars' second and third goals in their 3-0 win against Niger.

Gyan, now Ghana's skipper, has scored in all Afcon tournaments since 2008.

This polished victory secured a top spot finish in Group B for Ghana and means they will face Cape Verde at this venue on Saturday.

Gyan was heavily criticised after Ghana's 2-2 draw in the opening match against the DRC. Failure to score in yet another group encounter, the 1-0 win over Mali, only exacerbated the condemnation.

But like most brilliant players do when under pressure, he responded with a match-winning performance against minnows Niger. Even as the two teams walked off the pitch for the half-time break, Gyan and his teammates knew they had produced a performance worthy of more goals in the first 45 minutes.

They picked up where they left off when Boye netted a third four minutes into the second half. This is how minnows are put in their place.

It could be argued that had Niger's goal in the 10th minute not been disallowed for an alleged infringement on goalkeeper Dauda by striker Mousa Maazou, this could have turned out to be a different match.

However, the scoreline suggests Ghana could have easily lifted their performance to wrap up this game very early on.

Niger had Maazou threatening the Ghana defence with his runs, but he clearly would not have been able to win the match on his own.

The Black Stars relied not only on Gyan - they also had Atsu, Kwadwo Asamoah and Ageyman Badu pulling strings.

Gyan was Ghana's top sprinter in the first half and continued to cover more ground later in the match when required - until he was substituted with just over 10 minutes to go.

He could have grabbed the headlines in the 62nd minute by scoring a second of the match and Ghana's fourth. But his tame effort was easily gathered by goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly.

All in all, it was an emphatic victory by the Black Stars, who remain favourites along with Ivory Coast to reach the final.