Libya, Niger qualify as Nigeria, South Africa fail - Yahoo! News

• Malian player Abdou Traore (L) vies for the ball with Liberian player James Alpha …
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  Eagles of Mali, the Malian national football team, celebrate a goal against Liberia …

Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Libya, Mali, Niger, Tunisia and Zambia qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Saturday while Nigeria and South Africa were eliminated after a day of drama and confusion.

South African footballers, coaches, supporters and media celebrated after a 0-0 home draw with Sierra Leone believing Bafana Bafana (The Boys) had made it only to discover later that little Niger had topped the table on the head-to-head rule despite a 3-0 drubbing in Egypt.

The eight qualifiers join co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Senegal at the biennial African football showcase during January and February with the final two slots to be filled Sunday.

Although Zambia and Libya failed to score in Copperbelt town Chingola, the 0-0 draw took the home team through as a group winner while the North Africans took one of two places reserved for the best runners-up.

It was a remarkable achievement for the Libyans as fighting between pro and anti-Moamer Kadhafi forces meant the national team played only one of three home fixtures in Tripoli with Mali and Egypt hosting the others.

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Libya, Niger qualify as Nigeria, South Africa fail - Yahoo! News