Mali and Cape Verde share four-goal? No — Oumou Kone and Evy Pereira strike before break

Mali and Cape Verde went into half-time level at 1-1 in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match, after a closely fought first half in which both sides scored within seven minutes of each other.

The Group-stage encounter, part of the second round of fixtures, has been played at a high tempo, with the two teams battling to gain an advantage in the race for qualification.

Mali made the breakthrough in the 29th minute when Oumou Kone finished from close range to put her side ahead.

The goal followed good work from her team-mate Traore, whose pass created the opening for Kone. The forward made no mistake with the opportunity, giving Mali the lead and sparking celebrations among the Malian supporters.

However, Mali’s advantage lasted only seven minutes.

Cape Verde responded quickly and levelled the match in the 36th minute through Evy Pereira. Her finish restored parity and ensured that neither side could take an advantage into the interval.

The equaliser underlined the balance of a contest in which both teams have shown a strong determination to secure a result that could improve their prospects of reaching the next stage.

Mali’s opener had briefly given them control of the scoreboard, but Cape Verde’s immediate reaction prevented the Malian side from carrying that momentum into half-time. With the score tied, the two teams remain separated only by the sequence of goals that brought them to 1-1.

The match has therefore reached the interval with the qualification race still finely poised. Mali struck first through Kone, while Pereira’s response ensured Cape Verde were back on level terms before the break.

Both sides will now resume with the opportunity to claim the decisive goal in the second half. For Mali, the challenge will be to regain the advantage created by Kone’s opener. Cape Verde, meanwhile, will look to build on Pereira’s equaliser after recovering from conceding the first goal.

There has been little to separate the teams overall, with the intensity of the opening 45 minutes reflecting the importance of the fixture. The 1-1 scoreline leaves the contest open and preserves the possibility of either team taking a significant step towards qualification with a winning goal after the interval.