Africa Cup of Nations, matches and results: Tunisia-Mali 0-1, the referee misses everything

Even the fourth day of the group stage confirms that this Africa Cup travels to the sound of penalties: Mali wins 1-0 with the transformation of Koné, Tunisia loses and fails one with Khazri. Clamorous double error in the final by the referee, who whistles the end of the match twice in advance, sending the Eagles of Carthage into a rage.

Penalties, what a passion

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The 34 degrees indicated by the clock certainly do not help to increase the pace of play and also for this reason the first half in Limbe is not exactly spectacular. Mali is more perky and produces two chances at the beginning and end of the fraction: a high shot by Falaye Sacko and a powerful shot by Massadio Haidara from distance, wide. The Eagles of Carthage are more contracted, in the presence of a national team in evident growth in recent years. In any case, the two goalkeepers could have played the first 45 minutes without gloves, for zero total shots on target. Less than a hundred seconds after the start of the second half, however, Ellyes Skhiri hits the ball with one arm in the box on a volley from Boubakar Kouyaté and then forces the first shot into the mirror: Ibrahima Koné takes charge of it, who transforms the penalty without hesitation and leads the Eagles in yellow-green.

Whistles and chaos

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A Wahbi Khazri free-kick engages Ibrahim Mounkoro in reaction to the goal, then Dylan Bronn does the same with a straight razor shot almost from midfield. Fifteen minutes from the end, however, it is yet another penalty from this Africa Cup that affects the match: Khazri kicks and Moussa Djenepo’s hand is hit by the ball. A super Mounkoro, however, flies on the shot of the captain of Tunisia, as if to reveal the S of Superman under the uniform of Mali. The expulsion of El Bilal Touré in the 87th minute does not change the fate of the match, also because the referee combines all the colors: first he whistles the end five minutes early amidst the incredulity of those present, then returns to his own steps but repeats the mistake – definitively – 15 seconds from 90 ‘, without giving even one minute of recovery (at least five were predictable, with three checks at the Var). Furious Tunisia, but defeated by an excellent Mali.