January 17, (THEWILL) – In Gambia’s 1-1 draw with Mali in the ongoing TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Musa Barrow’s last-minute penalty stop saved them a point.
Referee Samir Guezzaz awarded two spot-kicks in the closing 11 minutes of the Group F match at Stade Municipal de Limbe, adding to the late VAR drama.
After Yves Bissouma was brought down in the box by Ebrima Adams, Ibrahima Kone tapped home for the second game in a row from 12 yards.
The goal meant Mali has now scored 22 goals after halftime in the continental competition since 2010, second only to Ivory Coast (25) in that time period.
Until Bissouma was penalised for handball in the last stages of the game, the Eagles were also on track to win their first two games in the competition for the first time since 2004.
Barrow, who had hit the crossbar with a superb first-half free-kick, was unstoppable this time as the Bologna forward simply sent Ibrahim Mounkoro the wrong way to ensure a draw.
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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.