Mali and Zambia played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in their group A encounter at the Stade Mohammed C in Casablanca in the ongoing AFCON tournament in Morocco, SportPremi reports.
El Bilal Toure spurned a glorious chance to open scoring in the first half when his penalty kick was superbly saved, although Lassine Sinayoko netted in the second half to open scoring for Mali.
Patson Daka scored the equalizer in stoppage-time, getting on the end of a cross by Banda before heading home from close range.
First half: Mali dominate, Toure loses penalty in goalless encounter
Zambia headed into the clash hoping for a first win over Mali, who were eyeing a good start to the 2025 AFCON campaign.
The Eagles dominated possession as both sides took cautious approach to the clash, with Lassine Sinayoko getting the first attempt of the game, although the Zambian goalkeeper was equal to the task.
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Mathews Banda then fouled Nene inside the penalty area, allowing the referee to award a spot-kick to Mali following a review on the monitor.
However, El Bilal Toure’s effort was saved by Mwanza to keep the scores level. It was a second penalty miss in as many matches in this year’s AFCON, following Morocco’s miss in their win over Comoros on Sunday.
Second half: Sinayoko and Daka cancel out each other
Mali continued their dominance in the second half, before deservedly going ahead in the 62nd minute, as Sinayoko fired in a rebound following a quick corner kick
Zambia had their best chance of the game afterwards, but a stunning overhead kick from Chanda was denied by an equally stunning save.
Sinayoko almost grabbed a second, but his fine effort flashed wide of the goalpost, while Diarra also missed a chance to add to the scoreline.
However, Zambia snatched a late equalizer through Daka, who headed home a fine cross in stoppage-time as both sides shared the spoils.
Morocco remain top of the group following their win over Comoros on Sunday, while Mali and Zambia have one point each.
Players Ratings
Mali Players Ratings:
- Diarra – 6.4
- Coulibaly – 7.2
- Diaby – 7.1
- Fofana – 6.4
- Dante – 7.1
- Sangare – 8.4
- Dieng – 7.2
- Sinayoko – 8.2
- Doumbia – 6.2
- Nene – 7.4
- Toure – 6.9
Substitutes
- Doumbia – 6.4
- Diarra – 6.9
- Haidara – 6.0
Zambia Players Ratings:
- Mwanza – 8.3
- Musonda – 7.1
- Chanda – 6.7
- Sakala – 7.7
- Banda – 7.3
- Tembo – 7.1
- Chaiwa – 6.4
- Sakala – 6.6
- Kangwa – 6.5
- Banda – 5.9
- Daka – 7.6
Substitutes
- Simukonda – 6.5
- Sabobo – 6.1
- Musonda – 5.9
Man of the match
Willard Mwanza (8.3/10) – The Zambian goalkeeper made four saves including a first half penalty stop to help his side to the share of the spoils in their opening clash.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Mali 53% – 47% Zambia
Total Shots: Mali 15 – 7 Zambia
Shots on target: Mali 5 – 2 Zambia
Pass Accuracy: Mali 82% – 79% Zambia
Corners: Mali 6 – 5 Zambia
What Next?
Mali face Morocco next Friday, hoping to secure their next win, while Zambia and Comoros also face-off on the same day.
