January 12, (THEWILL) – Tunisia lost 1-0 to Mali in their Africa Cup of Nations opener, with Wahbi Khazri saving a second-half penalty but it was a game where referee Janny Sikazwe became the centre of controversy especially for blowing the final whistle before time twice.
In the second half, Sikazwe handed both teams a penalty and dismissed Mali forward El Bilal Toure before blowing for full-time early, sparking heated scenes at Stade Limbe.
After a low-key first half in which neither team came near to breaking the deadlock, Ellyes Skhiri blocked Boubakar Kouyate’s effort with his hand and Tunisia were punished with a penalty.
Ibrahima Kone converted from 12 yards beyond debutant keeper Bechir Ben Said to jubilant celebrations from the Malians.
Tunisia, Africa’s fourth-highest ranked team, struggled to find a leveller but failed to put Ibrahim Mounkoro to the test in the Group F clash between the teams projected to advance in the top two slots ahead of Gambia and Mauritania.
But, 16 minutes from time, referee Sikazwe pointed to the spot when Khazri’s cross hit Moussa Djenepo on the hand, only for the Saint-Etienne striker’s penalty to be saved by Mounkoro.
Controversy that will outlive the game and be a reference point in future occurred when the referee blew for full-time in the 85th minute. When both sets of players and coaching staff exchanged confused looks, the error was spotted and play continued.
That was all before Mali substitute Toure was issued a straight red card for catching Dylan Bronn even if it looked harsh and the referee reviewed the incident on the monitor pitch-side.
And, despite regular stops for a slew of substitutes and a cooling break during the game, referee Sikazwe ended the match with 10 seconds still left to play without the benefit of extra time to consider.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
