A resilient ten-man Mali defeated Tunisia 3-2 on penalties after a dramatic 1-1 draw to book their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals.
The match turned against Mali in the 26th minute when defender Woyo Coulibaly was shown a straight red card for a foul on Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri. Playing with a man disadvantage for nearly 100 minutes, Mali seemed destined for defeat when Tunisia’s substitute Firas Chaouat broke the deadlock with a header in the 88th minute.
With the clock ticking down, Mali was handed a lifeline deep into injury time. The referee, after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR), awarded a penalty for a handball by Tunisia’s Yassine Meriah. Striker Lassine Sinayoko calmly converted the spot-kick in the 96th minute, sending the match to extra time.
Neither side could find a winner during the added 30 minutes, forcing a penalty shootout. Mali’s start was poor, as captain Yves Bissouma blasted his team’s first kick over the bar. However, Tunisia’s Ali Abdi also missed his attempt, leveling the chances.
The shootout was ultimately decided by Mali’s goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra, who made two crucial saves. His heroics set the stage for El Bilal Toure, who scored the winning penalty to the Eagles to the Quarter finals
Goalkeeper Diarra was named Man of the Match for a performance that included three vital saves in regular time and his two penalty stops in the shootout.
Man of the Match: Djigui Diarra
120 minutes
3 saves
2 penalty saves in the shootout
5 clearances
100% aerial duels won
43 touches
For Tunisia, the 2004 champions, the loss marks a painful early exit from the tournament.
Mali, who are yet to win an AFCON match in regular time at this edition, have gone past the round of 16 once in their last five AFCON
MALI
4 Games
0 Wins in Regular time
4 Drawn games
They will face West African rivals Senegal, the 2022 champions, in the quarterfinals next Friday in Tangier.