Africa Cup of Nations group stage play concluded on Wednesday, but the quarterfinals still aren’t set. Seven of the eight participants are known, but the final quarterfinalists won’t be known until a draw is performed on Thursday.
Africa Cup of Nations 2015 quarterfinals to be finalized through drawing of lots
Guinea and Mali tied in every way that you can tie, so we don’t even know which one of them has advanced.
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Guinea and Mali drew 1-1 on Wednesday, which was the third 1-1 draw for both teams in this competition. This means that they’re equal on literally everything -- points, goal differential, head to head, goals for and against. The runner-up in Group D will be decided by a drawing of lots, after which one of them will be eliminated.
The winner of the draw stays alive in the competition, but they'll be very heavy underdogs in the next round. The quarterfinalist they face is African giants Ghana, who won Group C, dubbed the group of death before the competition got started.
Algeria finished second in that group and has been rewarded with a brutal draw against the Ivory Coast, from which a tournament favorite might emerge. Tournament hosts Equatorial Guinea have a winnable tie against Tunisia, while neighbors Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo face off in a match that should be very confusing to those not familiar with African history and geography.
Quarterfinals
Congo vs. DR-Congo
Algeria vs. Ivory Coast
Ghana vs. TBD
Equatorial Guinea vs. Tunisia
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