AFCON 2023: Carthage Eagles of Tunisia aim to rub off unwanted record against Eagles of Mali

Posted : 20 January 2024

The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia are expected to seek redemption in response to their opening defeat at the Africa Cup of Nations when they take on the Eagles of Mali at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium for the second match of Group W.

The Eagles of Carthage were stunned by Namibia on Tuesday, continuing the curse of losing their first match at the AFCON, a streak that has now spanned five consecutive editions.

Their opponents, the Eagles of Mali, have nothing to lose as they already have three maximum points in the bag owing to a sweet 2-0 win over the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the opening match.

The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia need to do better to justify their position as one of the powerhouses of African football. Their failure to meet the expectations of pundits, especially running out of steam against the less fancied Namibia, cannot be justified by words alone.

Although many pundits believe the defeat was deserved, with the less fancied nation creating a glut of goalscoring chances before finally going in front through Deon Hotto in the 88th minute for the Brave Warriors' first-ever victory at the Cup of Nations.

Jalel Kadri's men must bounce back from the perceived ignominy to avoid a potential early exit in the finals, even if finishing third could still be enough if results elsewhere are favorable.

Having avoided group-stage elimination since the 2013 competition in South Africa, Tunisia seeks to continue a run that has seen them reach the tournament's quarter-finals in the previous four AFCONs.

However, the North African nation has put itself in a precarious position and must turn in an outstanding performance to defeat one of AFCON 2023's most intense sides.

For the Eagles of Mali, they might be on another cruise control in the AFCON, having had a smooth run of clean sheets over the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

The Malians, judging from the first match, seemed more compact, and that should put them in a place of comfort before facing an under-pressure Tunisia side, which looked lagged in their defeat to Namibia.

Both sides could accept a point in Korhogo, with the teams possibly canceling each other out, which would still be an advantage for Mali going into the last match of the group.

AFCON 2023: Carthage Eagles of Tunisia aim to rub off unwanted record against Eagles of Mali

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