Mali 1-2 Ivory Coast: Diakite nets last-gasp winner to send Elephants into semis

Ivory Coast secured a last-minute winner with an incredible late goal to send them through to the semi-finals.

Oumar Diakite scored in added time after the match was sent to extra time, with a 120+3 minute winner for the host nation.

Moments after finding the back of the net from outside the box following a corner, Diakite was sent off for his wild celebrations.

Hamari Traore of Mali followed him seconds later after surrounding the referee before officials were escorted off for their safety.

As the final whistle erupted, Ivory Coast continued their wild celebrations as they booked a spot in the AFCON semi-finals.

Fans were quick to react to the sensational win, especially given Ivory Coast's rocky journey at AFCON.

'My goodness Ivory Coast. What an extraordinary story: Survived group stage after finishing last. Their manager resigned. Survived Senegal with the last kick of the game. They have survived Mali with 10 men. Ivory Coast have more lives than a cat.' one user posted.

Gary Lineker added: 'Wow! Ivory Coast who’ve played most of the game with 10 men have won it at the very end of extra time. What a moment for the host nation.'

Another joined: 'Never has a team looked simultaneously so out of a tournament and so certain to win it as Ivory Coast. Incredible commitment to teetering on the brink during this AFCON.

'Have a team ever won a major international tournament after sacking their manager mid tournament? Ivory Coast are crazy.' Another penned.

The host nation did not enjoy an ideal start to the tournament, after losing two of their three group games, including a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea.

Things continued to heat up for the hosts as they went on sack coach Jean-Louis Gasset but then miraculously scraped into the