Last-gasp triumph for Ivory Coast, SA reach semis

Agency :
Oumar Diakite was the hero as hosts Ivory Coast staged another remarkable salvage operation on Saturday to reach the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals, and South Africa later joined them.
A brilliant back-heel by the substitute in added time at the end of extra time in Bouake gave the Elephants a 2-1 victory over Mali, who dominated much of the quarter-final and scored first.
Ivory Coast-born Nene Dorgeles put Mali ahead on 71 minutes against the host nation, who were reduced to 10 men just before half-time when Odilon Kossounou was sent off.
But another Ivorian substitute, Simon Adingra, levelled in the 90th minute to take the pulsating west African showdown into extra time.
Then, with the quarter-final seemingly set to be decided by a penalty shootout, Diakite back-heeled a drive from a teammate past Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Diakite, who had been yellow-carded earlier, took off his shirt when celebrating, leading to a second caution followed by a red card.
Victory came at a high price as suspensions rule Diakite, Kossounou, captain Serge Aurier and Christian Kouame out of a semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo Wednesday.
“After this kind of match, there are no real things to explain, it is just emotions,” said Diakite, who plays for French Ligue 1 outfit Reims.
“My joy was so great that I forgot that I had a yellow card. It was a mistake on my part. Even if I am not there, we can do the job (reach the final).
“With this goal, I think I put happiness on the faces of every Ivorian fan at the stadium. No words can describe how I’m feeling now, but I’m happy.