Bamako, March 26 (BNA): Mali defender Moussa Sissako scored an own goal in the first half and was sent off after four minutes, undermining his country’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup as they lost 1-0 at home to Tunisia in the first leg on Friday. their tie.
21-year-old Sisako, making his fourth appearance for Mali, tipped the ball into his net with a back pass in the 36th minute that knocked goalkeeper Ibrahim Munkoro off his line, Reuters reported.
Things went from bad to worse when Tunisia withdrew, leaving Sissako to chase Seif Eddine Jaziri, trimmed his heels outside the penalty area and took home the red in a row.
Mali is seeking to reach the World Cup for the first time, but is making an appearance as it heads to Tunis for the return leg on Tuesday.
It also proved a disappointing debut for Everton’s Abdoulaye Doukourie, who switched his international allegiance after playing for France at junior level, but was knocked out in the first half.
Mali had chances in the first half but were let down by poor finishing. Abdullah Diaby returned to the team for the first time in more than two years, and was the closest to the owners of the land with a stinging shot that Bashir bin Said managed to save.
With ten men, Mali struggled to maintain the same strength in the second half but created better chances. A penalty claim just before the 70th minute was dismissed after a VAR check.
Tunisia’s victory marks a successful start for new coach Jalal Kadri, who was appointed after losing to Burkina Faso in the CAN quarter-finals in January.
Mali was hosting a match for the first time in a year after playing “home” matches in last year’s group stage of the African qualifiers held in Morocco because none of its stadiums were deemed usable by the Confederation of African Football.
But renovations to the 26 March Stadium in Bamako saw the ban on Friday’s match lifted, and a large crowd watched it. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris)