AFCON 2025: 10-man Mali beat Tunisia on penalties to reach quarterfinals

Mali will face Senegal in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Tunisia in their round of 16 clash at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Saturday night.

Despite playing more than 70 minutes with 10-man after Woyo Coulibaly was sent off in the 26th minute for a dangerous challenge on Hannibal Mejbri, Mali defied the odds to beat Tunisia and progress to the next round of the tournament.

Both teams went toe-to-toe for most parts of the match and the match remained goalless until the 88th minute when Firas Chaouat headed home a cross by Elias Saad that slipped through Malian defence to break the deadlock for Tunisia.

As Tunisia were already planning to see out the advantage, Mali was awarded a penalty in the second minute of added time when Yassine Meriah handed the ball inside his own box.

Lassine Sinayoko calmly converted to equalise for Mali to take the match into extra time.

The match went into penalty shootout after both teams failed to score during the additional 30 minutes of action, with goalkeeper Djigui Diarra making two saves while Ali Abdi’s shot went too high to help Mali secure a deserved 3-2 win to reach the last eight.