Mali beat South Africa 2-0 in AFCON match

Mali have moved into first place in Group E after winning their opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations 2-0 over South Africa.

South Africa could have taken the lead in the first half but Percy Tau blazed his penalty over the target.

Instead, Mali finally found their breakthrough on the hour mark. Sekou Koita hit the underside of the crossbar with a stunning free kick from the edge of the box, and captain Hamari Traore reacted quickest as he poked the ball home.

South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was helpless after diving to stop the initial shot, and none of his defenders anticipated needed to clear the ball off the line whatsoever.

Next up for Mali is a clash with Tunisia on Saturday night at 20:00 while Bafana Bafana meet Namibia 24 hours later needing a result to keep their knockout hopes alive.