Namibia 0-0 Mali: Brave Warriors battle through to the knockout stage
(AFP) – Namibia and Mali both progressed from Group E to the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, following their 0-0 draw at the Stade Laurent Pokou, marking a historic day in the Brave Warriors’ history as they progressed from the group stages for the first time.
The Brave Warriors came into the game looking to build on their first-ever AFCON finals win against Éric Chelle’s Mali side who came into the game unbeaten in their last 10 international matches. And although Mali controlled possession in the opening stages, it was Namibia who threatened first. The chance came as Prins Tjiueza was played through on goal before trying to place a shot in the far-bottom corner, but Djigui Diarra was on hand to tip it onto the post.
Mali did begin to grow into the game following that chance though, and forced a fantastic save from Lloyd Junior Kazapua midway through the half, after Nene Dorgeles beat a couple of defenders before firing towards the right side of the goal. That seemed to give the Eagles some encouragement as they went close again soon after, when Youssouf Niakaté’s inch-perfect cross found Lassine Sinayoko in the box, but he could only send his header agonisingly wide of the left-post.
The start of the second half was fairly scrappy, with both sides struggling to produce any clear cut chances to trouble the opposition goalkeeper. The best chance of the half came with just under 20 minutes to play, when Kamory Doumbia broke past the defence before looking to square the ball to Ibrahim Sissoko, but the cross evaded the striker and the game remained goalless.
Mali began to threaten more in the final 10 minutes, with the best chance coming courtesy of an Amadou Dante freekick, as the defender tried his luck from distance and forced a save from Kazapua in the bottom-right corner. However, Namibia managed to dig deep and claim a valuable draw to advance to the AFCON knockout stages for the first time. Meanwhile, Mali also advance, claiming top spot after going unbeaten in the group (W1, D2).
MATCH STATISTICS
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
Namibia 0-0 Mali
The Brace Warriors held Eagles to a goalless draw in San Pédro to reach knockout stages for the first time in their history despite finishing third.#AFCONWithMIAS#AFCON2023 #CAN2023#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/UdLES7dlh7
— Made In Africa Sport (@madeinafricaweb) January 24, 2024
MAN OF THE MATCH
🇳🇦 Deon Hotto 🇳🇦
The Namibian star is the TotalEnergies Man of the Match with an outstanding performance vs. Mali 👏#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #NAMMLI | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/zwT5wxNi8P
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2024
FINAL GROUP STANDING
AFCON 2023 Group E
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mali | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 |  South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Namibia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 4 |
| 4 |  Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 2 |
