Tunisia suffers 1-0 defeat in the hands of Mali as referee Janny Sikazwe was at the centre of controversy.
Wahbi Khazri had a second-half penalty saved to give Mali three points in their Africa Cup of Nations opener.
Sikazwe awarded both sides a penalty in the second half of the game and Mali forward El Bilal Toure was shown a red card before blowing for full-time early to spark angry scenes at Stade Limbe.
After a low-key first half that saw neither side go particularly close, Ibrahima Kone converted past debutant keeper Bechir Ben Said from 12 yards after Ellyes Skhiri blocked Boubakar Kouyate’s shot with his hand.
Tunisia, worked hard but were unable to test Ibrahim Mounkoro in the Group F clash between the sides expected to advance in the top two spots ahead of Gambia and Mauritania.
But the 2004 tournament winners were given a lifeline 16 minutes from time as Sikazwe again pointed to the spot when Khazri’s cross hit Moussa Djenepo on the hand, only for the Saint-Etienne striker’s penalty to be saved by Mounkoro.
After the referee initially blew for full-time in the 85th minute, play resumed and Mali substitute Toure was shown a straight red card for catching Dylan Bronn, before Sikazwe again brought play to a halt 10 seconds early despite a raft of substitutions and a cooling break.
Source: Livescore
