Morocco and Mali played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat in Group A of the Africa Cup of Nations. The result slowed Morocco’s momentum after their opening win over Comoros, a match previously covered by SoftFootball, where Brahim Diaz had already underlined his importance to the hosts.
The Atlas Lions came into the contest confident of extending their winning run, targeting victory against Mali, as reported by SoftFootball, but they were met by a disciplined Malian side that showed resilience and belief throughout the night.
Morocco controlled possession from the opening exchanges and pushed Mali deep inside their own half. Brahim Diaz went close in the 16th minute when his close-range effort was well saved by Djigui Diarra, while Ayoub El Kaabi narrowly missed connecting with a header from a promising position.
The pressure finally told in first-half stoppage time when VAR intervened to penalise a handball. Diaz stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 45th minute, sending Diarra the wrong way to give the hosts a deserved lead, as shared on AFCON’s official X account.
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The second half began at a slower tempo, but drama returned just after the hour mark. Mali were awarded a penalty following a VAR review after Jawad El Yamiq brought down Lassine Sinayoko inside the box. Sinayoko kept his nerve, firing past Yassine Bounou to level the score and register his second goal of the tournament.
Morocco responded by pushing numbers forward and making attacking changes, with Youssef En Nesyri coming close late on. Djigui Diarra produced a vital leg save, while Mali survived a nervous moment in stoppage time when a defensive header nearly resulted in an own goal.
The draw leaves Morocco top of Group A with four points, while Mali sit level with Zambia on two. Morocco remain well placed to qualify, but the dropped points ensure the final round of group matches will be approached with caution rather than comfort.
