Eagles prey on mediocre Mauritania

Mali2-0FinishedMauritaniaSoccerAFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations – Round 320.01.2022 20:00MaliMali2-0FinishedMauritaniaMauritaniaMatchReportOddsH2HStandingsVideoPhotosNewsEagles prey on mediocre MauritaniaPhoto: AFPEagles prey on mediocre MauritaniaYesterday, Ben SullyMali eased past Mauritania to finish top of Group F, and the dominant display extended their unbeaten run in the Africa Cup Nations (AFCON) group stage to seven games.After conceding two goals in the opening ten minutes against Tunisia in matchday two, Mauritania would have been looking for a more positive start in their final group stage encounter. Unfortunately for the ‘Lions of Chinguetti’, Mali had other ideas as they took the lead within the opening two minutes. A Hamari Traoré cross reached Massadio Haïdara and the Lens man made a tricky finish look simple as he guided the ball into the far corner, registering the fastest goal of the tournament so far.With their eyes firmly set on finishing top of Group F, ‘Les Aigles’ went searching for a second goal and their relentless pressure nearly resulted in Ibrahima Koné grabbing Mali’s second of the game, but the Sarpsborg forward was denied by the legs of Babacar Diop. Mauritania have failed to score in their previous four games at the AFCON finals, and their troubles in front of goal continued in the first half, as they struggled to carve out any real chances of note.Mauritania did not learn their lessons from the first half as they conceded yet another early goal in the second period. Some clumsy defending resulted in Moussa Doumbia being brought down in the box, and Koné stepped up to score from the spot for a third consecutive game. Content with their two-goal lead, Mali began to focus on retaining possession rather than searching for a third, and they cruised through the closing moments to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.As well as finishing the group stage with seven points, Mohamed Magassouba will be pleased to see his side keep their second clean sheet of the tournament, while the ‘Lions of Chinguetti’ end a disappointing campaign without a point or a goal to their name.