Mali secured a 3-1 victory over Cape Verde in the first Group Stage fixture of the African Nations Cup qualifiers at Stade du 26 Mars on Thursday. Ange Martial Tia opened the scoring before the visitors levelled through Sidny Lopes Cabral, but Nene Dorgeles netted twice to steer his side clear. The result leaves Mali top of the table after one match, while Cape Verde sit second with a goal difference of minus one.
Tia made his mark five minutes in, finishing a move that had the home side pressing high and forcing errors. Cabral responded quickly, finding space in the box to slot home a cross that caught the Mali defence flat-footed. To be fair, both sides looked sharp in the opening exchanges, but the visitors could not hold their shape once the pressure mounted.
Dorgeles turned the game after the interval, pulling the trigger from distance in the thirty-ninth minute before doubling his tally shortly after the break. By then, Mali had played the second half a man up conceptually, keeping possession and forcing Cape Verde into long balls. He was withdrawn in the seventy-first minute, having made the difference with two goals that came at crucial moments.
Mali dominated the numbers, recording 102 attacks compared to Cape Verde's 79, and registered seven shots on target against just two for the visitors. The home side completed 449 passes with a 55 per cent possession share, while Cape Verde managed 369 successful passes. Many of those shots went begging for the visitors, who hit the target less than half as often despite creating something resembling chances.
The victory extends Mali's unbeaten run in qualifiers, though they have not won since their last competitive outing. Cape Verde's recent form has been mixed, with draws against Spain and Saudi Arabia but also heavy defeats to Argentina and Uruguay. This result puts them under pressure to find consistency, with every point from here carrying weight in a group that could decide everything.
