It will be Ivory Coast vs Mali in the quarter-finals stage of the 2023 AFCON on February 3, as the Malian side held on to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 earlier today, January 30.

The 2023 AFCON round of 16 game was expected to be a balanced tie and wasn’t far from that though Mali grabbed an early lead in the encounter.

Bayer Leverkusen center-back, Edmond Tapsoba gifted Mali the lead in the third minute of the match via an own goal.

The Malians held to the slim lead throughout the first half as the Burkinabès fought hard to grab an equaliser all to no avail.

Unfortunately for the Burkinabès, the second half started almost like the first half. The Malians grabbed a goal just two minutes after the start of the half but this time around, it wasn’t through an own goal.

Lassine Sinayoko who plays as a forward for Ligue 2 club Auxerre scored Mali’s second goal in the encounter in the 47th minute.

The goal didn’t discourage Burkina Faso from pushing to get back into the game. Their push paid off hugely when Aston Villa winger, Bertrand Traoré grabbed a goal back via a spot-kick in the 57th minute.

Despite the push from Burkinabès for the equalizer in the remaining minutes of the game, Mali stood their ground as they knocked out the West African team with a 2-1 scoreline.

This means that Mali will face spirited Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals at the Peace of Bouake Stadium by 6 p.m. on February 3, 2024.