Having suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in their AFCON opener on Tuesday, Tunisia knew a positive response was needed against an in-form Mali side.
The Eagles of Carthage came flying out the blocks in the opening stages, but it was Eric Chelle’s men who found an early breakthrough against the run of play, with Lassine Sinayoko picking up a pass from Kamory Doumbia and firing a clinical strike into the far corner.
Undeterred, Tunisia found a swift response just 10 minutes later, as Hamza Rafia timed his run to perfection to convert from Ali Abdi’s intelligent cut-back.
After a frantic opening 25 minutes, both sides looked to stamp their authority on proceedings before half time, and Mali came close to retaking the lead when Doumbia rifled a presentable opportunity wastefully wide of the target.
The end-to-end nature of the contest continued into the second half, but a distinct lack of cutting edge in the final third continued to prove problematic for Mali, with Hamari Traore blasting over from a tight angle.
Determined to avoid a first group stage exit since 2013, Jalel Kadri’s men upped the ante with time ticking into the final 20 minutes but were fortunate not to fall behind when Sinayoko spurned another glorious chance for Mali, directing a close-range effort inexplicably over the bar.
The Eagles’ profligacy in front of goal didn’t come back to haunt them though, as Chelle’s side coasted through the closing stages to pick up a valuable point, moving them to within touching distance of the knockout stages.
The result extends Mali’s unbeaten run across all internationals to 10 matches (W7, D3), while Tunisia need a win against South Africa in their final group game to stand any chance of progressing through the tournament.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lassine Sinayoko (Mali)
