The second day of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 saw Mali and Zambia draw 1-1 at Stade Mohamed V. Zambia’s Patson Daka scored a late header to salvage a point for Copper Bullets, while Mali’s Lassine Sinayoko had the honor of scoring the match’s opening goal. The result completed Matchday 1 for Group A. Zambia sits in second place behind group leaders Morocco, while Mali sits just above bottom-side Comoros, who lost 2-0 to the Atlas Lions yesterday.
While the match ended in a draw, questions will be raised about Mali’s performance. The numbers tell a tale that the scoreline doesn’t, proving Les Aigles (The Eagles) will feel hard done by their result. They outshot their opponents (15-7) and landed more shots on target (5-2). On the other hand, Lassine Sinayoko, who plays his club ball for French side AJ Auxerre, rose to the occasion for his country and is looking to make waves in his third AFCON.
It would take 61 minutes for the tightly contested match to see its first goal. On a Mali corner kick, the ball was played into the box to an area loosely marked. Kamory Doumbia and Lassine Sinayoko were the closest to the ball, with Doumbia taking the first shot on goal. After his attempt was blocked, Sinayoko took a quick pair of touches before striking the ball past Zambia’s Willard Mwanza.
A free kick in the 71st gave the Zambians a fair chance, having spent little time in Mali’s final third. Sinayoko played in a ball that landed in a loaded 18. After a moment of sloppiness, the ball bounced to Zambia’s Dominic Chanda, who made an acrobatic attempt at a half volley, but was quickly saved by Mali keeper Djigui Diarra.
Just when it looked like Mali had guaranteed their side’s first three points, Zambia’s Patson Daka added a stoppage-time equalizer that sent the stadium into a frenzy. Mathews Banda curled a ball into the box from a free kick, with Daka beating the offside trap with his run. With acres of space, the Leicester City man sent a diving header past Diarra to level the match 1-1.
“My players did the job against Mali. It was our opening match, and it was not easy,” began Zambian manager Moses Sichone. “We conceded a goal at an unexpected moment (a gift we gave away), and that is something we must correct.”
The next match of the day begins at 12:00 PM/ET, which will see South Africa take on Angola. All AFCON matches can be streamed on BEIN Sports. An alternative to BEIN Sports, fans can watch AFCON via Sling for $5.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Anthony Reaves