Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet was in near-tears on Monday afternoon after a late equaliser from Zambia denied his side a crucial victory at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The two national teams locked horns at Stade Mohamed V in their first Group A match of the ongoing tournament in Morocco.
In the exciting contest that ensued between the two sides, Mali emerged as the better side in the first half and should have led at halftime. However, they missed several chances, including a penalty kick wasted by El Bilal Toure.
After recess, Mali scored in the 61st minute and looked well on their way to picking all three points until Patson Daka headed home an inviting cross in added time to salvage a draw for Zambia.
Speaking in his post-match interview, Tom Saintfiet admitted that the late goal was very painful.
“The equaliser was very painful. We were aiming to score three goals in this match. Our difficulties began after the missed penalty. We must not let emotions take over. I would have preferred to take all three points against Zambia, especially after controlling the game for 90 minutes,” the Mali coach bemoaned.
Sainfiet continued, “This equaliser felt like a victory for Zambia and a defeat for us. Now we have to prepare properly for the next matches. Zambia have good players in midfield, and they prevented us from achieving our objectives. Now we will need at least a point against Morocco in the next match. We have to finish second in the group. We said we want to reach the final, and that is still possible.”
After drawing their opening match at AFCON 2025, Mali will now look to upset host Morocco when they face the side on Friday, December 26.
Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS