Mali revived their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde on Sunday, earning their first win in Group D and keeping their hopes of reaching the quarter finals alive.
The West Africans produced an attacking display before surviving a late scare to claim all three points in an entertaining contest.
Both teams approached the match knowing the importance of the result after difficult starts to the tournament. As expected, the encounter produced plenty of excitement, with five goals and several momentum swings that kept supporters engaged until the final whistle.
Mali broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through Oumou Kone, who finished a well crafted attacking move to give her side a deserved lead. However, Cape Verde responded positively and drew level just seven minutes later when Evy Pereira found the net. Her strike marked Cape Verde’s first ever goal at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and ensured the teams went into the break locked at 1-1.
Mali returned for the second half with greater purpose and quickly regained control of the match. Fatoumata Niakate restored their advantage shortly after the restart before Fatoumata Diarra added a third goal in the 79th minute to give the West Africans what looked like a comfortable two goal cushion.
Cape Verde refused to surrender and set up a tense finale when Alivia Kelly scored in the 88th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-2. The late goal increased the pressure on Mali, but they defended resolutely during the closing moments to preserve their lead and secure a crucial victory.
The result gives Mali their first three points of the tournament and leaves them firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage ahead of the final round of Group D matches.
For Cape Verde, the defeat confirmed a second straight loss after their opening setback against Ghana. They remain without a point and are now officially out of the competition, ending their hopes of advancing beyond the group stage.
