Ten-Man Mali Beat Tunisia on Penalties to Reach AFCON Quarter-Finals

Ten-man Mali booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after beating Tunisia 3-2 on penalties following a dramatic 1-1 draw.

Mali played for more than an hour with 10 men but showed great determination to advance. They will now face defending champions Senegal in the last eight. Tunisia, meanwhile, failed to reach the quarter-finals for only the second time in their last six AFCON appearances.

The match started at a fast and tense pace, with many fouls and little quality in attack. Referee Abongile Tom issued four yellow cards in the first 25 minutes before sending off Mali defender Woyo Coulibaly for a high challenge on Hannibal Mejbri.

The red card meant Mali have now received the most red cards across the last three AFCON tournaments, with four dismissals in total.

Tunisia controlled possession but struggled to create clear chances. Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra had little to do before half-time as Tunisia failed to register a serious effort.

After the break, Tunisia continued to push forward, but Mali looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Substitute Dorgeles Nene tested his luck with a long-range effort that went over the bar.

Tunisia’s first shot on target came from a free kick by Hannibal, which Diarra pushed away. The Mali goalkeeper was soon called into action again, saving from Elias Saad.

Tunisia thought they had won the match late in normal time when Saad crossed into the box and Aimen Chaouat headed home from close range.

However, deep into stoppage time, Mali were awarded a penalty after Yassine Meriah was penalised for handball. Lassine Sinayoko calmly converted the spot kick to make it 1-1 and force extra time.

Extra time produced few clear chances, with heavy rain affecting the flow of the game. Tunisia had the ball in the net, but Chaouat was ruled offside.

The match went to penalties, the first shootout of this AFCON. Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra was the hero, saving Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane’s effort. El Bilal Touré then scored the winning penalty to seal a famous victory for Mali.

Tunisia’s AFCON campaign ends in disappointment, while Mali move on to a tough quarter-final clash against Senegal.