Mali take top spot in Africa Cup of Nations Group F after Mauritania win as Gambia and Tunisia advance

Mali booked their passage to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations as Group F winners thanks to a 2-0 win over Mauritania. The Mali side went into the final round of group games in second in the standings, but their 2-0 win combined with Gambia’s 1-0 victory over Tunisia meant they took top spot on goal-difference Ad/> Gambia and Tunisia also advanced to the knockout stages, with the former finishing second in the group.

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Mali will take on Equatorial Guinea in the round of 16. Gambia were able to secure second place thanks to Baboucarr Gaye’s penalty save from Seifeddine Jaziri and Ablie Jallow’s goal deep into injury time.

The late goal made no difference to the positions, as Gambia took second and Tunisia third. Gambia will face Guinea on Monday, while Tunisia will face Nigeria on Sunday.