By: Nana Kwame Bediako
2004 Champions Tunisia faced Mali in their second group game of the AFCON 2023 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Saturday, January 20, 2024. The two teams settled on a 1:1 draw at the end of the game.
Mali weren’t showing any signs of slowing down after their first round victory against South Africa, as they opened the scores in the 10th minute when Lassine Sinayoko managed to slot home a wonderful goal.
Tunisia showed the spirit of fighters as they quickly equalised ten minutes after going down when Abdi found Hamza Rafia, who slotted home an accurately executed strike to make it 1-1 in the 30th minute of proceedings.
The second half had everything Mali was screaming on the pitch as they dominated the half, creating chances and controlling possession with their physicality on the ball. Mali bullied the defence of Tunisia, as they had more touches in their box.
The scores stood at 1-1 as the game came to a close, with Mali accumulating 4 points from two games, putting them in a better position to qualify for the round of 16. On the flip side, Tunisia recorded their first point, leaving them to fight for a win in their last group game against South Africa.