When the Penalty Bell Tolls: Mali Edges Tunisia and Eyes Senegal in AFCON 2025
4 January 2026
Tunisia's AFCON 2025 Exit: Mali Triumphs on Penalties, Senegal Await
The Tunisian national team, nicknamed the Carthage Eagles, bowed out of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco 2025) after a painful penalty shootout loss to Mali in the Round of 16 on Saturday night.
Tunisia failed to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive edition, after being eliminated in the group stage in 2023—a first since 1994.
The match also underscored Tunisia's ongoing struggles with penalties, a trend that has seen them lose four of their last six AFCON shootouts, according to the French outlet Stats Foot.
Meanwhile, Mali continued to build a reputation for nerve on penalties, lifting their shootout win rate to 75% (3 wins from 4) across AFCON history, the best among teams that have faced the shootout at least twice. Nigeria shares the same rate (6 wins from 8).
In the quarterfinals, Mali will face Senegal, who yesterday beat Sudan 3-1.
Punchline 1: Mali's penalties were so precise, even a sniper would salute. Punchline 2: Tunisia’s next penalty practice should come with earmuffs for the goalie—the chorus of sighs is louder than the crowd.
