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Malabo — Guinea described their progress, by the drawing of lots, to Sunday’s Africa Nations Cup quarter-final against Ghana in Malabo as the “gods of football fortune” smiling down on them.Mali’s fate was sealed when FA chief Boubacar Diarra picked the “wrong” ball from a bowl and condemned them to a cruel exit.

Two balls were placed in a glass bowl before the watching Confederation of African Football executive at a Malabo hotel as a rare drawing of lots was used by Caf to separate two countries that finished level in Group D.

Visibly nervous, a pair of officials from the two nations strode on to the stage after a brief introduction from Caf president Issa Hayatou who expressed regret that a place in the quarterfinals was to be settled in such a way.

Two pieces of paper with “two” and “three” written on them were placed into two green balls before Diarra and Amara Dabo, financial director of the Guinean Sports Ministry, made their choices.

Diarra’s face fell as his ball revealed “three” while Dabo beamed as he realised Guinea had progressed as runners-up to Cote d’Ivoire in Group D for a quarterfinal with Ghana in Malabo on Sunday.

The Mali FA president struggled to hide his emotions after leaving the draw.

“It’s cruel to be eliminated at this stage with the team we have,” Diarra told Reuters. “For 20 years Mali haven’t had a team like this one.”

Mali finished third in the last two Nations Cup tournaments.

“We qualified outside of Guinea. We played all our home games in Morocco,” said Minister of Youth Moustapha Naite referring to the Ebola virus that meant his side were banned from playing in their own country during the preliminary stages.

“No one expected us to be here. I’m certain this could be a really good sign. We’ve a team that can do it because they’ve proven that in the first three games. We can go all the way.”

Guinea, devastated by the Ebola virus in the last year, was thrilled to see its national team qualify yesterday at the expense of Mali after the two sides finished Group D level.

Chants of “Ebola, Ebola” from rival fans had a sizeable impact on the players but they still ended up in the finals after winding up second in their preliminary group section behind Ghana and ahead of Togo and Uganda.

There was an explosion of joy in the Guinean capital of Conakry after the announcement of yesterday’s draw result with drivers and motorbike riders honking their horns in celebration.

“It has been a long road,” financial director of Guinea’s Sports Ministry Amara Dabo told Reuters. “The gods of football fortune smiled on us.”

Guinea were banned from hosting preliminary qualifying games because of fears over the spread of the disease. They had to move home matches to Casablanca in Morocco and as they travelled they were treated almost as pariahs.

“We’ve had to go round in a very strange context with health checks and fleeting glances,” said coach Michel Dussuyer.

“There have been some measures we’ve felt have been discriminatory and when you have your temperature taken twice a day it can get annoying. But everything really is in the attitude of people you meet and the strange responses we get.”

In Conakry’s Boulbinet neighbourhood, youths sporting red, yellow and green national colours danced in the street.

“We’re qualified. God is with us. Long live the Syli,” screamed one of them in reference to the team’s Syli Nationale nickname.

The worst Ebola outbreak on record has killed at least 8,700 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. — Reuters