Mali boss Eric Chelle has revealed his thoughts on Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau's penalty miss in their opening Group E fixture.
The Eagles leaped to first place in the group after a 60th minute opener by Hamari Traore and a strike from Lassine Sinayoko just six minutes later saw them double their lead to claim a 2-0 victory over South Africa.
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Bafana did, however, have a chance to open the scoring in the first-half, but Tau fired the ball over the bar.
Speaking after the game, Chelle suggested that should the Al Ahly attacker have put the chance away, the match could have ended differently.
"I want to congratulate the players for this victory. During the first half, it wasn't good. We were under pressure in the first half. During the second half, we showed intensity. We conceded a penalty, and had it been scored, it may have been a different outcome" he said per CAFonline.
"Each nation has its chance, and this tournament will be very interesting because each team has qualities. I would not say we are favourites to win the group just yet.
"Yes, we got the victory but a lot can still happen. We still have matches to play and so we have to keep working hard."
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Mali will be hoping that their victory over Bafana will inspire them to keep their momentum going strong when they butt heads with Tunisia on Saturday.
Hugo Broos and his side, meanwhile, will look to rectify their mistakes when they take on Namibia on Sunday.
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