Mali and Tunisia neutralized each other (1-1) this Saturday evening for the 2nd day of the African Cup of Nations. Sinayoko for the Malians opened the scoring (10th) before Rafia’s score was reduced (20th).
It started off strong. The Tunisians played big and it showed at the start of the match in which they put a lot of intensity into the duels in particular. They even got themselves some interesting situations that could have hit the mark. However, it was the Malians who managed to open the scoring after a great effort from Sinayoko. The Auxerre player got rid of his opponent with authority and threw himself towards the goal, before hitting hard, leaning on the post to beat Ben Saïd.
The Eagles of Carthage did not give up and responded 10 minutes later through Rafia at the conclusion of a great collective action part of the revival of the Tunisian centrals. The danger gradually disappeared, giving way to less clear-cut opportunities and poorly aimed shots more often finding the stands and supporters than the goalkeepers’ gloves. Before the spark reignited just before the final whistle, but it was too late, the score did not move and the nets did not shake.
The tension went down a notch in the second half and we saw more management than risk-taking, which allowed Mali to maintain a result which remained favorable to them. As for the North Africans, this draw suits them less and keeps them below the direct qualification places. The Carthage Eagles will have to flap their wings harder if they want to fly into the round of 16 (1 point). For the other birds of prey, the Malian Eagles were more stable in flight and are gaining altitude in group E (4 points) while awaiting the clash between Namibia and South Africa.
