Morocco and Mali played out to an entertaining 1-1 draw in their second group A clash at the ongoing 2025 African Cup of Nations, SportPremi Reports.
Brahim Diaz scored the opening goal of the game from the penalty spot in first half stoppage-time, while Lassine Sinayoko pulled Mali level in the second half from another spot-kick.
The Atlas Lions now have four points from their opening two matches and will be highly disappointed at not securing maximum points against the Eagles, who have two points from their first two matches.
First half: Diaz strikes as Morocco take first half lead
Morocco went into the clash hoping to record another victory following their 2-0 win over Comoros on the opening day.
Achraf Hakimi started on the bench once again as the CAF Men’s player of the year continued his wait for a first appearance at this year’s AFCON tournament.
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Brahim Diaz had the first real chance of the game, but his effort was saved by Mali’s Djigui Diarra as Morocco dominated proceedings.
The Atlas Lions enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, but it was until first half stoppage-time when they took a deserved lead.
The referee awarded a penalty kick after a VAR review and the Real Madrid forward scored from the spot-kick to hand his side a 1-0 advantage heading into the break and his second goal of the tournament.
Second half: Sinayoko equalizes for Mali
Mali had penalty appeals in the second half turned down by the referee after a foul on Sinayoko by El Yamiq.
However, VAR intervened once again as referee Abdou Mefire then awarded the spot-kick after a review.
Sinayoko stepped up and calmly converted beyond Bounou to grab his second of the tournament as the golden boot race heats up.
Youssef En-Nesyri was also denied by Diarra as Morocco were unable to make their dominance count.
The clash ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Players Ratings:
Morocco Players Ratings
- Bounou – 6.2/10
- Mazraoui – 7.2/10
- El Yamiq – 7.1/10
- Aguerd – 6.7/10
- Salah-Eddine – 7.0/10
- Amrabat – 6.8/10
- Diaz – 7.3/10
- El Aynaoui – 6.5/10
- Ounahi – 7.0/10
- Saibari – 6.6/10
- El Kaabi – 6.1/10
Substitutes
- El Khannouss – 6.3/10
- Ezzalzouli – 5.9/10
- En-Nesyri – 6.6/10
Mali Players Ratings
- Diarra – 7.0/10
- Gassama – 6.8/10
- Camara – 6.4/10
- Diaby – 7.7/10
- Coulibaly – 6.9/10
- Doumbia – 6.6/10
- Dieng – 7.4/10
- Coulibaly – 7.7/10
- Sangare – 7.0/10
- Bissouma – 6.8/10
- Sinayoko – 7.6/10
Man of the match
Abdoulaye Diaby (7.7/10) – The Mali center-back was very impressive and coordinated his side’s defence against a dominant Morocco side. The 25-year-old made 13 clearances and won 100% of both his aerial and ground duels.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Morocco 62% – 38% Mali
Total Shots: Morocco 15 – 5 Mali
Shots on target: Morocco 4 – 1 Mali
Pass Accuracy: Morocco 85% – 74% Mali
Corners: Morocco 6 – 0 Mali
What Next?
Morocco will now head into their final clash against Zambia next Monday, hoping for a win to secure top spot in group A.
Mali, meanwhile, must win against Comoros to stand a chance of reaching the knockout rounds.
