Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet was left deeply frustrated on Monday afternoon after a late Zambia equaliser denied his side a vital win at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The two teams faced off at the Stade Mohamed V in their opening Group A fixture, producing an entertaining contest in which Mali largely held the upper hand.
Saintfiet’s side dominated the first half and created several clear-cut chances but failed to make their superiority count, with El Bilal Touré missing a penalty that could have given them a deserved lead before the break.
Mali eventually broke the deadlock in the 61st minute after the restart and appeared on course to secure all three points. However, their hopes were dashed in added time when Patson Daka rose to head home an inviting cross, salvaging a dramatic draw for Zambia.
Speaking after the match, Saintfiet admitted the late goal was difficult to take, especially after his side controlled much of the encounter.
“The equaliser was very painful. We were aiming to score three goals in this match. Our difficulties began after the missed penalty. We must not let emotions take over. I would have preferred to take all three points against Zambia, especially after controlling the game for 90 minutes,” the Mali coach bemoaned.
Saintfiet went on to acknowledge Zambia’s resilience while outlining Mali’s objectives going forward in the tournament.
“This equaliser felt like a victory for Zambia and a defeat for us. Now we have to prepare properly for the next matches. Zambia have good players in midfield and they prevented us from achieving our objectives. Now we will need at least a point against Morocco in the next match. We have to finish second in the group. We said we want to reach the final, and that is still possible.”
Following the opening draw, Mali will now turn their attention to a tough test against host nation Morocco when the two sides meet on Friday, December 26.
