Mali made an excellent start to their African Cup of Nations campaign as they headed top of Group E with a deserved 2-0 win over South Africa.
More than 16,000 people were in attendance at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo to see whether South Africa could spring another surprise in a stadium and a group where Namibia had shocked Tunisia 1-0 earlier in the day.
Bafana Bafana’s best chance of the game came midway through the first half when ex-Brighton forward Percy Tau stepped up to take a penalty awarded by VAR. He skied the ball high over the crossbar, and the contest was still goalless at the end of the first half.
After the break, Mali turned the screw and took the lead at 60th minutes of play when Kamory Doumbia’s free-kick slammed the underside of the crossbar Skipper Hamari Traore reacted immediately and tapped home from the line.
It took just six minutes for Mali to double their lead, with Lassine Sinayoko outmuscling Siyanda Xulu and calmly slotting under goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
That quickfire double proved enough for Les Aigles, who go top of Group E.
Mali’s next match will be against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Saturday while South Africa are up against neighbours Namibia on Sunday, both in Korhogo.
