A 37th minute strike by Amadou Haidara gave Mali a deserved 1-0 win in highly entertaining end-to-end game at the Ismaila Stadium in one of the two final games of Group E. Mali, qualified to the last 16 for the first time in three AFCON tournaments after they got knocked out in the group stages in 2015 and 2017.
In Suez, Tunisia played out a goalless draw with Mauritania’s Lions of Chinguetti – their third draw in Group E, but would progress to the knockout stages after Angola failed to get anything off Mali 1-0 game at Ismaila.
The former African Champions held on to prevent a relentless Corentin Martins led Mauritania from a goal in keenly contested game at the Suez Stadium.
#Mali GOAL against #Angola scored by Haidara#ANGMLI #AFCON2019 #PalancasNegras #LesAigles pic.twitter.com/zd5jOtm6R2
— Cephas TENDEREZA – MMW (@CephasTendereza) July 2, 2019
Mali, having finished as first in the group, now head to Suez Stadium on Monday to face the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire who ended as the second best team in Group D.
The defeat for Angola see South Africa’s Bafana Bafana take up the last best losers slot, meaning the Angolans head home alongside Kenya who ended as third in Group C.
While Mauritania head home with Angola, the Carthage Eagles themselves head to the last 16 to face the Black Stars of Ghana at the Ismaila Stadium next Monday.