Tunisia hoped to finally break the spell, but history repeated itself. Opposed to Mali in the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations, the Carthage Eagles once again came up against a dark beast that they have never beaten in the competition. Despite numerical superiority for more than an hour and overall domination, the Tunisians were eliminated on penalties (3-2) after a cruel and suffocating scenario.
The meeting started at a bumpy pace, marked by excessive commitment and numerous duels. Little by little, Tunisia took control of the proceedings, despite the injury of Dylan Bronn in the 10th minute. Ismaël Gharbi was the first to make the Malian defense shudder (12th), in a choppy first act, punctuated by mistakes and cards. The turning point of the match came in the 28th minute with the expulsion of Woyo Coulibaly, guilty of a dangerous sole on Hannibal Mejbri.
In numerical superiority, the Tunisians confiscated the ball after returning from the locker room, without however managing to achieve something. Their domination remained sterile, despite several dangerous situations and a returning corner from Ali Abdi which forced Diarra to make a save (57th). Worse still, Mali, disciplined and grouped in a low block, appeared threatening on the counterattack, casting doubt on the Tunisian defense.
A cruel penalty
Deliverance, however, came late. In the 89th minute, Firas Chaouat, freshly entered into play, emerged to head a cross from Saad and open the scoring, finally seeming to break the curse. But in added time, Yassine Meriah conceded a penalty for a handball in the area, immediately transformed by Lassine Sinayoko (90+2nd), sending the two teams into overtime.
For thirty additional minutes, Tunisia pushed without success, even seeing a goal from Chaouat disallowed for offside. Unable to make the difference, the Carthage Eagles had to resort to a penalty shootout. More realistically, the Malians won 3-2 and advanced to the quarter-finals where they will meet Senegal. For Tunisia, the curse against Mali in CAN continues, leaving a bitter taste and a lot of regrets.
