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Tunisia striker Firas Chaouat gave his side the lead in the 88th minute as he lost his marker to guide a deep cross from Elias Saad into the net.

However, Mali was awarded a penalty in stoppage-time when substitute defender Yassine Meriah inexplicably used his arm to deflect the ball from a free-kick, and Lassine Sinayoko netted in the 97th minute to send the game to extra-time, which couldn't produce a winner either.

Mali had been reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute when Woyo Coulibaly stamped on the ankle of Tunisia's Hannibal Mejbri, and could have few complaints, but put in a battling performance to snatch the win in the shootout.

Quite remarkably, Mali advances to the quarter-finals having not yet won a game at the tournament in Morocco.

It drew all three of its Group A fixtures but finished runner-up in the pool, and drew against Tunisia in Casablanca.

It will now face West African rival Senegal in Tangier next weekend, after the latter earlier defeated Sudan 3-1 to advance to the last eight.

The wet and windy conditions in Casablanca did not help the spectacle, and neither did the early red card, but it took until the 79th minute for the first shot on target from either side as Hannibal’s curling free-kick was saved by Diarra.

Mali set out to defend once it went down to 10 men, and was reduced to half-chances until it was handed the opportunity to equalise from the spot by Meriah's moment of madness.

Chaouat had the ball in the net again for Tunisia in extra-time, but he was offside and the goal was ruled out, taking the game to spot-kicks.