Hosts Morocco laboured to a 1-1 draw against Mali in their second 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group stage match on Friday, Afrosport reports.
Both goals in the game came from the penalty spot, with the referee awarding both spot-kicks after consulting with VAR and the pitch-side monitor.
Eagles boss Tom Saintfiet made five changes to his lineup, bringing back captain Yves Bissouma from injury while El Bilal Toure, Nene Dorgeles, and Kamory Doumbia were benched.
With Achraf Hakimi still unavailable, Brahim Diaz was tasked with leading the Atlas Lions and came close to scoring in the 17th minute.
Just before halftime, a Diaz dribble led to a handball by Nathan Gassama, prompting VAR review, which drew comparisons to a previous contested penalty against Comoros. It was however awarded, and Diaz duly converted.
Mali’s moment came in the 64th minute when Jawad El Yamiq’s foul on Lassine Sinayoko went unnoticed by the referee, but after VAR consultation resulted in a penalty that was converted by Sinayoko for his second goal in as many games.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui made a triple substitution, but the best chance for both sides came in stoppage time when Lassana Coulibaly’s back header almost resulted in a goal.
FULL-TIME! 🇲🇦🇲🇱
Morocco and Mali share the points. 🤝#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 | @tecnomobile pic.twitter.com/GaMtLW0BtI
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 26, 2025
The match ended Morocco’s 19-game winning streak, but they remain unbeaten in 22 matches since their last AFCON exit.
