By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Mali beat Angola last Tuesday at the Stade Municipal de Berrechid paves way for a new chapter in their soccer campaign this year.

Goals from Ndjicoura Bomba and Soungalo Coulibaly secured all three points for the Malians in their opening Group D match, placing them at the top of the table ahead of Côte d’Ivoire and the Central African Republic, who faced each other later in the day.

Angola equalized in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half, with Jayden Puna scoring from close range after a clever headed assist by Manelson. The goal was confirmed by VAR after a brief review.

In the second half, both teams pushed for a winning goal in a physical contest, but it was Mali who found the breakthrough in the 74th minute. Substitute Coulibaly delivered a moment of brilliance, striking a right-footed shot from long range into the bottom left corner following a corner kick.