After the Lions' duel, that of the Eagles.
Defeated (1-0) in its first match by Namibia, Tunisia had to try to win on Saturday January 20 against Mali to maximize its chances of reaching the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations.
The Eagles of Carthage were held to a draw by Mali (1-1), at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium, as part of the second day of Group E.
A balanced first period
The Tunisians put the pressure on from the start.
From the 2nd minute, Anis ben Slimane created a first opportunity, hitting a free kick on the left, released by the Malian goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra.
But it was the Malians who opened the scoring in the 10th minute of play (1-0), thanks to a left-footed cross strike from Lassine Sinayoko, helped by Béchir ben Said's goal post.
The Eagles of Carthage were quick to respond, and equalized ten minutes later (20th, 1-1).
After a great collective sequence with one touch of the ball, Hamza Rafia takes a cross from Ali Abdi at the penalty point.
And although Djigui Diarra was on the trajectory, he could not prevent Tunisia from scoring its first goal in this CAN 2024.
The following minutes see both teams rotating the ball, trying to produce play, combinations and creating chances.
But these do not succeed.
Some try their luck, like Kamory Doumbia (40th) – who sees his shot go wide –, or even in added time of the first period with Abdi, performing a half-volley which passes over the goals Malians.
The two teams parted ways at halftime with a score of 1-1.
A calmer second half
The start of the second period was marked by a violent physical clash between Ben Said, Talbi and Snayoko near the Tunisian surface.
The game is stopped for a few moments, and resumes without any player having to give up their place.
In the seconds that followed, Doumbia made an incursion into the Tunisian camp and struck with the outside of his foot (51st), but saw his attempt pushed back with his fingertips by Ben Said.
The first twenty-five minutes of the second half are much less intense than those of the first.
Clear chances are becoming rarer, and neither team is able to find the fault once again.
However, we note a significant physical commitment from both teams.
We had to wait until the 79th minute to see the Malians get a big chance.
Sinayoko takes a cross from the right side, but fails to hit the target.
In added time of the second half, Bissouma (90+6) fired a missile from a direct free kick, but the ball missed the Tunisian goal.
The score will no longer change.
The two teams part with this score of one goal everywhere.
Mali temporarily retains the lead in Group E, with 4 points, pending the result of the match which will pit Namibia against South Africa on Sunday.
As for the Eagles of Carthage, this result allows them to take a point and continue to hope... but they will have to win against South Africa on Wednesday January 24.
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