Mali failed to win a single one of their three group stage matches, drawing all of them. And that is why Mali qualified for the knockout stage as the second best team in the group. However, the way they crossed the last 16 mark is even more surprising. Despite playing with 10 men for more than 90 minutes, they dragged the match to a tiebreaker. And there, Mali defeated Tunisia 3-2 to secure their quarter-finals.
Mali faced Tunisia in the last 16 match of the ongoing continental tournament in Morocco on Saturday (January 3) night. Tunisia, however, entered the field as favorites in this match.
Mali suffered a big blow in the 26th minute of the match. Coulibaly left the field after seeing a red card, and Mali became a team of 10 men. Even with 10, they held their fortress well. However, neither team was able to take a shot on goal until the 79th minute of the match.
In the 88th minute of the match, Tunisia took the lead through Firas Shawat’s goal. At that time, it seemed that Mali’s departure was only a matter of time. But the scenario changed in added time, they were awarded a penalty due to a handball by the opponent. Lassine Sinayoko equalized the team with a successful spot-kick in the sixth minute of added time.
After that, neither team scored a goal in the additional 30 minutes. Finally, the game went to the tiebreaker. Mali also stumbled at the beginning of the penalty shootout. Ali Abdi failed in their first shot. However, the team’s goalkeeper Digui Diarra stopped two Tunisian shots. And with that, Mali won the tiebreaker 3-2 and got a ticket to the last eight.
Mali had drawn all three of their Group A matches earlier in the tournament, advancing to the knockout stages as the second best team in the group. In their first match against Zambia, they took the lead through a goal by Sinayoko in the 61st minute. Zambia equalized in added time. Mali can only lead for that amount of time in any match in the tournament. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the next match, they held hosts Morocco to a 1-1 draw. That day, Morocco took the lead through a goal by Brahim Dias in added time in the first half. Sinayoko equalized from a penalty in the 64th minute.
In the final match of the group, Mali drew 0-0 against Comoros. Then, Mali secured the last eight with a dramatic win in the last sixteen. Mali’s best achievement in the African Cup of Nations was being the runner-up in 1972. This took them to the quarter-finals for the second time in a row.
