AFCON 2025: Mali coach Tom Saintfiet puts strong face despite exit

Mali national team coach Tom Saintfiet put up a strong face despite going down to Senegal in the quarterfinal fixture of the Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) in Morocco on Friday.

In a fiercely contested West African derby, the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations winners showed composure and tactical discipline to overcome a resilient Malian side.

Senegal were guided by coach Pape Thiaw stood tall all evening. With both teams battling intensely for control in midfield and clear chances at a premium, Senegal proved more decisive in the key moments.

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Iliman Ndiaye capitalised on a goalkeeping error from Mali’s Djigui Diarra inside the penalty area. Reacting quickest to the loose ball, the Senegal forward calmly finished from close range to score what proved to be the match-winning goal.

Mali’s task became significantly more difficult moments before the interval when Bissouma received a second yellow card in stoppage time, forcing the Eagles to play the entire second half with a numerical disadvantage.

“It was an interesting and difficult match for us because we had to play large parts of the game with ten men. But that doesn’t take away the fact that my players played gallantly and played very well,” said Saintfiet.

“I am proud of them for the performance they put up not just in today’s match but throughout the competition. We have shown the world what we are made of. Together with my staff we will analyse our matches and see what we can do better in future.”