Tunisia's Historic AFCON Run Ends in Morocco as Mali Edges Through on Penalties
4 January 2026
Match recap
Tunisia left Morocco 2025 with a historic record, scoring seven goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations edition for the first time since 2008. They advanced to the knockout rounds but were eliminated by Mali on penalties after a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time.
According to Stats Foot, the match featured a notable achievement: a Tunisian substitute forward became only the second bench player to score a knockout goal in AFCON history, following Naïm Sliti’s strike against Madagascar in 2019.
With this result, Mali extended Tunisia’s AFCON hoodoo and moved on to a quarterfinal against Senegal, who had defeated Sudan 3-1 the day before.
Fans will remember the seven-goal burst and the brave, if incomplete, bid for a deeper run in a tournament that always loves a plot twist.
Notable moments
A substitute forward made history for Tunisia by scoring in the knockout rounds, a rare feat for the Carthage Eagles in AFCON competition.
On to the quarterfinals, Mali will face Senegal after eliminating Tunisia on penalties.
Punchline 1: Seven goals in one edition—Tunisia gave the scoreboard a tan and a memory.
Punchline 2: And if penalties had a soundtrack, Mali pressed play and Tunisia pressed pause on the dream.
