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Here is that piece, which concludes our coverage for the evening. It’s been very fun – thanks for joining us, as always.
A night to remember for Mali.
We’ll shortly bring you Jonathan Wilson’s analysis of that madcap evening of Afcon… which should be worth sticking around for.
So, Mali will face Senegal in the quarter-final on 9 January.
A reminder that Mali haven’t won, or lost, a game in 90 minutes in this tournament. Four successive draws is good enough for a spot in the last eight for Tom Saintfiet’s side.
Mali simply found a way to win!
They were reduced to 10 men after 27 minutes, they went 1-0 down in the 88th minute and scored their equaliser in the 96th minute, after the allotted added time had surpassed… they then had to cling on through extra-time to force penalties, and had goalkeeper Djigui Diarra to thank for two brilliant saves in the shootout.
Heartbreak for Tunisia. They should have put Mali away within the 120 minutes and have been punished for failing to do so.
ShareMali win 3-2 on penalties and reach the quarter-finals
Tunisia 2-3 Mali (pens): Can El Bilal Toure win it for Mali here?
He can! He sends Dahmen the wrong way and Mali, somehow, are through!
Mali’s players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.03 EST
Tunisia 2-2 Mali (pens): Romdhane is under pressure to score here… and Diarra makes another fine save! Brilliant from the goalkeeper, and it’s now match-point to Mali.
Mali’s goalkeeper Djigui Diarra stops Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane’s penalty. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.20 EST
Tunisia 2-2 Mali (pens): Diakhite is next for Mali and coolly scores to put the teams back on an even keel.
Four taken each.
Tunisia 2-1 Mali (pens): Another miss! Diarra guesses the right way to save from Elias Achouri. This shootout has had everything!
Three penalties have been taken by each team now.
Tunisia 2-1 Mali (pens): Nene Dorgeles smashes his penalty off the post! Tunisia have their advantage back.
Tunisia 2-1 Mali (pens): Elias Saad is next for Tunisia and rolls a lovely effort low into the corner, sending Diarra the wrong way.
Tunisia 1-1 Mali (pens): Sinayoko scored a penalty earlier in the evening and he scores, tucked neatly into the corner.
Tunisia 1-0 Mali (pens): Ali Abdi steps up for Tunisia and he produces a carbon copy of the Bissouma effort. Smashed high and not very handsome, over the bar. Good grief.
Tunisia’s Ali Abdi misses a penalty during the shootout. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.03 EST
Tunisia 1-0 Mali (pens): Mali captain Yves Bissouma is up next and the Spurs midfielder MISSES! A terrible penalty that is blazed miles into the night sky.
A nightmare start for Mali.
Tunisia 1-0 Mali (pens): Meriah smashes his kick high into the top corner. Superb penalty.
The first penalty will be taken by the man at the centre of so much action/drama/chaos tonight, Tunisia’s Yassine Meriah …
Mali will doubtlessly be the happier of the teams, having ground it out with 10 men for nigh-on 100 minutes. Tunisia have to lift themselves off the canvas for the shootout.
Who will be brave enough to step up? This should be fun.
ShareFT: Mali 1-1 Tunisia – game goes to penalties
Ibrahim Sissoko met the free-kick with a cushioned back post volley but could only lift his effort over the bar.
That’s the final telling act of the game. It will be penalty kicks to decide who progresses to the last eight of Afcon 2025.
ET 30 mins +1: Ben Ali concedes a silly free-kick from a Tunisian perspective, which will allow Mali to put a ball into the box late on.
Can they steal victory here?
ET 30 mins: Nene Dorgeles again drags Mali forward on the counterattack but Diakite cannot supply a cross, despite having a bit of time to do so from the left.
These chances on the break keep coming for Tom Saintfiet’s team.
Two added minutes to come.
ET 28 mins: It’s unfair to say Mali are hanging on for penalties here, but they don’t mind these delays, that’s for sure.
We should get a few minutes of extra-time added time.
ET 26 mins: Lassana Coulibaly cannot continue and he’s been replaced by Hamari Traoré.
It’s a surprise that the Mali captain hasn’t been introduced earlier, but he should bolster the defence for the final stages.
Into the final five minutes… will we get a winning goal, or is this chaotic tie destined for penalties?
ET 24 mins: Ali Abdi kicks thin air after a cleverly-worked free-kick by Tunisia. He was presented with lots of space, but couldn’t get any contact when it mattered.
Updated at 16.34 EST
ET 22 mins: Or maybe someone else got that yellow just now… it’s not been made clear to us.
Meanwhile, Tunisia continue to press…
Has Yassine Meriah has been shown a second yellow? He should be off… but he remains on the pitch with no sign of a red card being brandished by Abongile Tom. What is going on here?
Meriah hasn’t had the best of evenings. It was he who conceded the penalty for Mali’s equaliser…
Information is coming through now that he wasn’t actually on a yellow card initially. Chaos.
ET 18 mins: After a VAR delay, the goal has indeed been chalked off. It was just a question of whether Firas Chaouat was offside. He was the man who met the powerful ball across and tucked it home… it was very close but probably the right call.
We’re back up and running and within 35 seconds Tunisia have the ball in the net, but Firas Chaouat has been flagged offside after putting a cutback from the left into the goal.
This will be checked. It’s tighter than it seems …
That’s half-time in extra time. It’s still 1-1 as the exhausted players grab a quick drink and prepare for the final furlong.
ET 15 mins: You have to marvel at the work rate and determination of this Mali team. They’ve had a man less for almost 80 minutes now.
We’re added time at the end of the first half of extra time… as Diarra storms out to collect a dangerous bouncing ball.
ET 12 mins: Saad is knitting things together nicely for Tunisia now. It’s worked back to the centre-back Meriah to thunder a drilled shot towards goal, which is wide.
ET 10 mins: Conditions are getting wetter and colder as the elements set in.
Space is starting to open up for both teams amid tiring limbs. Surely that benefits the 11 men of Tunisia?
ET 8 mins: Better from Tunisia, as Valery plays a well-weighted ball into the channel and Sassi cuts it back into the danger zone – but nobody can quite get to the ball.
It’s then worked to Abdi to shoot from the left with Diarra sprawling to make a decent stop.
Mali are appealing for another handball and another penalty as Sinayoko lashes a shot at goal but the referee dismisses the appeals on this occasion.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.
ET 5 mins: It’s no surprise that Tunisia are still bossing the ball. Again however, they’re doing very little with it.
ET 2 mins: Mali look completely reinvigorated. In fairness, ever since Nene Dorgeles was introduced up front, they’ve retained an outlet on the counterattack that never diminished, but they appeared down and out after Chaouat’s header.
What a difference a goal makes.
I enjoyed this email from Peter Oh. Note the spelling:
I can trust the Guardian to deliver balanced coverage of the dramatic late equaliser, but I reckon the Daily Mali won’t be so impartial.
Extra time is under way.
The rain is now teeming down in Casablanca.
FT: Mali 1-1 Tunisia.
I’m still not sure how we’ve had two goals in this game. It certainly didn’t appear that way with the score still locked at 0-0 with 87 minutes on the clock.
Anyone fancy 30 more minutes of this? That’s what we’re getting. Time for everyone to catch their breath.
ShareGOAL! Mali 1-1 Tunisia (Sinayoko, 90+6)
After confirmation from VAR, Lassine Sinayoko finally steps up to take the penalty.
Aymen Dahmen looks to stand tall in the Tunisian goal but he cannot stop Sinayoko finding the bottom right corner. Great scenes of Malian celebration!
It wasn’t a brilliant penalty but it squirmed past the keeper and found the net.
Mali’s Lassine Sinayoko scores from the penalty spot. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.04 EST
90 mins +5: We’ve ticked beyond the allotted four minutes of added time. The more replays of that Meriah handball they show, they more it looks like a penalty actually.
The referee has given it for handball against Meriah, I believe. It’s a pretty tough call on Tunisia, but the ball definitely touched his arm as he blocked the free-kick.
It’s going to take a while for Mr Tom to clear away the protesting Tunisia players and get this taken. VAR is checking it, of course.
PENALTY TO MALI!
What on earth is going on here? We had 88 minutes of very few chances, very few shots. But we may get two late goals!
Referee Abongile Tom points to the penalty spot. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.01 EST
90 mins +1: Sangare steams through the middle trying to get Mali going again. He is inevitably hauled back by Meriah, who gets a booking – but who will care not one jot.
Free-kick to Mali.
You wouldn’t say ‘it was coming’ but Tunisia have certainly been the superior side, helped by that man advantage.
All of Mali’s hard work in defence was undone in that one moment. They have just four minutes of added time to somehow find a late leveller.
ShareGOAL! Tunisia 1-0 Mali (Chaouat, 88)
Is that the goal? Firas Chaouat heads Tunisia in front late on!
He looks potentially offside but the goal stands – and the replays show he timed his run perfectly to glance the header into the bottom corner.
Tunisia’s Firas Chaouat scores. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/APShare
Updated at 15.58 EST
Hannibal Mejbri is being substituted, with Mohamed Ben Romdhane coming into the midfield. I find it slightly odd that Trabelsi would remove the Burnley man at this stage.
84 mins: Tunisia keep halting their own momentum with silly fouls…
This latest one allows Mali to batter the ball downfield and tick a few more seconds away. Extra-time is looking a good bet right now.