Morocco must wait for AFCON last 16 qualification after drawing with Mali
Morocco failed to secure their position in the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages following a 1-1 draw against Mali on Friday, thanks to a second half penalty from Lassine Sinayoko.
The encounter featured two penalties, as Brahim Diaz put Morocco ahead from the spot in added time of the first half, only for Sinayoko to equalise on 64 minutes.
This result at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat halted Morocco's impressive streak of 19 consecutive victories, which began with their 2-0 win over Comoros in the opening match.
Consequently, Morocco have yet to clinch their advancement to the knockout rounds, though they lead Group A with four points from two outings.
Mali sit second with two points, level with Zambia, who played out a goalless stalemate with underdogs Comoros earlier in Casablanca.
Morocco will take on Zambia next on Monday, and a win against the 2012 title holders would confirm their progression as group toppers.
Nevertheless, given that the top four third placed teams from the six groups also advance, the pre tournament favourites are still well placed, even after finding it tough to dominate a resilient Malian outfit.
Morocco skipper Achraf Hakimi, recently named African footballer of the year, remained on the bench once more, nursing an ankle knock picked up while at Paris Saint-Germain in early November.
Mbappe in attendance
His ex PSG colleague Kylian Mbappe, now a Real Madrid star and French captain, was spotted among the 63,844 fans and seemed to sport a Morocco jersey bearing Hakimi's number two.
Without Hakimi, Mbappe's club mate Diaz shone on the field the creative number 10 drew a fine stop from Mali keeper Djigui Diarra after 17 minutes, and was central to the incident leading to the first goal right before half time.
Mali's Nathan Gassama handled the ball while attempting to block Diaz's run in the penalty area, prompting the official to grant a penalty after consulting the VAR screen at length.
Soufiane Rahimi had missed from the spot against Comoros, but Diaz this time deceived the keeper for his second tournament strike.
Yet Walid Regragui's team, Africa's highest ranked side per FIFA, could not capitalise, as Mali earned their own penalty shortly after the hour.
Sinayoko tumbled following a heavy foul by Jawad El Yamiq, and Cameroonian referee Abdoul Abdel Mefire pointed to the spot after reviewing the monitor.
The Auxerre forward, who had picked up a yellow card seemingly for protesting, stayed composed to slot home and level the scores.
Morocco replacement Youssef En-Nesyri was thwarted by another solid Diarra stop, while Mali clung on during 10 minutes of added time to claim the draw, met with boos from the local supporters at the end.