Caution pays off for Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast's safety first approach paid off as they reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Thursday but similar tactics backfired for Angola in a 2-2 draw with Sudan, who had not scored at the tournament for the previous 36 years. The Ivorians, apparently traumatised by their dramatic quarter-final exit at the hands of Algeria two years ago, managed a flattering 2-0 win over Burkina Faso on a steamy evening for their second straight win of the tournament. Angola crawled back into their shell immediately after taking a 2-1 lead over Sudan early in the second half and had two players booked for time-wasting before their opponents deservedly equalised. Fair play trophy Despite this, coach Lito Vidigal was awarded the game's fair play trophy although it was not explained why. Angola, with four points from two games, need a draw against the Ivorians on Monday to qualify but if they lose, Sudan could overhaul them with a win against Burkina, who have no points and are eliminated. Burkina's fiery coach Paulo Duarte went out with a bang as he lambasted his federation over the failure to obtain clearance for three naturalised players. "We lost three players just before the start because we didn't manage to get them qualified," said the fiery Portuguese, often known as the African Mourinho. "That just can't be allowed to happen, it's unthinkable... it's primitive." "On the field we play quality football, off the field there are successive errors. I haven't decided if I will continue yet. That option is open to me but I'll have to think about it." The Ivorians were the second team to reach the last eight after co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, who triggered wild celebrations with a shock 2-1 win over Senegal in Bata on Wednesday night. Gabon, the other co-hosts, could go through on Friday if they beat Morocco and Tunisia take a point against Niger in a Group C double bill in Libreville.