Ten-man Mali stun Tunisia to set up Senegal quarter-final as Mbaye makes history

Mali and Senegal will meet in a heavyweight Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final after a dramatic night in Casablanca saw the Eagles overcome Tunisia 1-1 (3-2 on penalties) despite playing more than an hour with ten men.

Already qualified earlier in the evening, Senegal sealed their place thanks to a composed 3-1 win over Sudan, highlighted by a moment of history from Ibrahim Mbaye, before Mali completed the line-up with one of the most resilient performances of the tournament so far.

Mali defy the odds after early red card

The turning point came in the 27th minute when Woyo Coulibaly (Sassuolo) was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Hannibal Mejbri. Reduced to ten, Mali were forced into a low block for long periods as Tunisia dominated possession.

Despite finishing with just 28% of the ball, Tom Saintfiet’s side showed remarkable organisation and mental strength. Djigui Diarra produced several key saves, notably denying Ali Abdi (OGC Nice) and Mejbri, while Lassine Sinayoko (AJ Auxerre) remained Mali’s main outlet on the break.

Mali qualify for the AFCON quarter-finals on penalties 🇲🇱🤯 pic.twitter.com/U7Jz6oYtiP
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 3, 2026

Late chaos sends match to extra time

After sustained pressure, Tunisia finally broke through in the 88th minute when Firas Chaouat headed home at the far post, seemingly sending the Carthage Eagles through.

But deep into stoppage time, VAR intervened after a handball by Yassine Meriah, and Sinayoko showed ice-cold composure to convert the penalty in the 96th minute, forcing extra time.

Tunisia thought they had snatched victory again when Chaouat found the net early in the second period of extra time, but the goal was ruled out for offside following another VAR check.

Diarra and Touré the shoot-out heroes

The match was decided from the spot in a tense penalty shoot-out. Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) blazed over, while Ali Abdi struck the crossbar, swinging momentum back towards Mali.

Goalkeeper Djigui Diarra then saved from Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, before El Bilal Touré calmly dispatched the decisive penalty to send Mali into the quarter-finals.

Senegal arrive in form as Mbaye breaks record

Waiting for them are Senegal, who earlier eased past Sudan with a controlled performance. The highlight came from Ibrahim Mbaye, who became the youngest goalscorer in AFCON history in the 21st century at 17 years and 344 days, finding the net just three minutes after coming on.

The Paris Saint-Germain academy product finished clinically after a perfectly weighted assist from Sadio Mané.

Mali now face a Senegal side rich in attacking options and confidence, but their extraordinary resilience against Tunisia will give them belief. With Ligue 1 representatives central to both squads — from Sinayoko (Auxerre) and Abdi (Nice) to Mbaye (PSG) — the quarter-final promises intensity, narrative and quality in equal measure.