December 26, (THEWILL) — Morocco’s 19-match winning run came to an end after Mali fought back to claim a 1-1 draw at Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, with Brahim Diaz and Lassine Sinayoko both converting from the penalty spot on Friday.
Walid Regragui’s side controlled proceedings from the outset, with Real Madrid’s Diaz forcing a fine save from Djigui Diarra in the 16th minute after firing from inside the area. Ayoub El Kaabi wasted another opportunity when he failed to connect properly with a header. Morocco broke through just before the interval when VAR overturned the referee’s initial decision on Nathan Gassama’s handball, allowing Diaz to slot an unstoppable penalty into the bottom-left corner.
The second period began quietly before tensions flared following another VAR review. Jawad El Yamiq’s clumsy challenge on Sinayoko handed Mali a penalty, which the forward converted superbly for his ninth international goal to restore parity.
Morocco pressed for a winner in the closing stages, with Youssef En Nesyri denied by strong goalkeeping after defender Ousmane Camara’s error. The hosts came closest to conceding through their own player when Woyo Coulibaly’s header back to his goalkeeper nearly resulted in an own goal in the dying seconds.
The world’s 11th-ranked nation remain favourites to top the group despite the setback. Mali will need a positive outcome against Zambia in their final fixture to guarantee progression from the group stage.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
