Mali booked their spot in the second qualifying round of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Guinea 2-0 in Conakry on Monday.

In Bamako, the Malians endured a frustrating tie with the Guineans as the contest ended in a 2-2 draw at Stade Modibo Keita five days ago.

Couloumba Sogore’s own goal and Camara’s strike canceled out Agueicha Diarra and Aissata Traore’s efforts to force a 2-2 first leg draw.

Five days later at the General Lansana Conte Stadium, both teams played out a dramatic goalless first half until Traore broke the Guineans’ resilience 11 minutes after the restart.

The Malians maintained their search for a second against the hosts and Diarra’s sublime free kick 13 minutes from regulation time to seal their progression.

Following their qualification, Mali will square up against Tuesday’s winner between Liberia and Senegal in the second round of the qualifiers.

The Eagles will be aiming to surpass their best performance at the women’s AFCON tournament in Morocco in 2022, where they will also bid to qualify for their first-ever Women’s World Cup in 2023.

Soka25east.com