Black Stars shine brightest tonight! Mali go down in Accra

Following a shocking draw against Chad four days ago, Ghana faced a nightmare. However, tonight, they are in a dreamland!

The Black Stars brushed Mali aside at home and recorded a critical victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign - 1-0.

The decisive moment occurred in the 49th minute, when the defender Alexander Djiku exploited a melee in Mali's box and the Eagles' custodian's confused reaction to score the winner.

Still, Ghana's job isn't over, as Madagascar and Comoros are after them, so they have to approach the final two rounds very seriously.

The opening part of the match was relatively slow and calm, though Ghana used every chance they could to attack hastily over the right flank and through Mohammed Kudus. However, between the 15th and 45th minutes, nothing notable happened.

The Black Stars mainly controlled the ball, while the visitors relied heavily on defence, and only two decent attempts were made in the last minute before the break.

First, Mali made their only shot on target in the first half from a 35-meter free kick, which was easy prey for Ghana's custodian. A counterattack over Kudus followed - the new Tottenham forward crossed the ball in for Antoine Semenyo, who shot poorly from close range, missing the target.

Guinea and Algeria share spoils in a monotonous goalless clash

Still, just four minutes after the break, Ghana broke the deadlock! First, Caleb Yirenkyi hit the bar, the Black Stars received a corner kick, after which Mali's keeper Djigui Diarra made a mistake - though he claimed he was fouled - and Alexander Djiku scored his third national team goal for the immense joy of the entire Accra Sports Stadium in the Ghanaian capital.

Mali boss Tom Saintfiet reacted with several subs and his team became slightly more offence-oriented after Ghana's opener, but that left much space for Kudus, Semenyo, and home crew's counters. Yet, most Mali's attempts were from a distance and off target, as they failed to create a single colossal chance. Hence, in the end, Ghana deservedly triumphed.

Nevertheless, given that the Black Stars' main rivals in Group I, Madagascar and Comoros, won their matches, Otto Addo's team's job isn't done yet, as the aforementioned teams are only three and four points away, respectively. In the final two qualifying rounds, Ghana will face Central African Republic on the road and Comoros at home.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - AFRICA

Saturday

Nigeria - Rwanda 1-0 (0-0)

/Arokodare 51/

Monday

Equatorial Guinea - Tunisia 0-1 (0-0)

/Ben Romdhane 90+5/

Mozambique - Botswana 2-0 (1-0)

/Witi 6, Bangal 71/

Zambia - Morocco 0-2 (0-1)

/En Nesyri 7, Igamane 47/

Guinea - Algeria 0-0

Guinea Bissau - Djibouti 2-0 (0-0)

/Imbene 54, Cande 82/

Madagascar - Chad 3-1 (0-1)

/Caddy 52, Raveloson 69, Abdallah 90+3 - Allarabaye 25/

Malawi - Liberia 2-2 (0-1)

/Mhango 72, Kaonga 80 - Kosiah 3, 62/

Uganda - Somalia 2-0 (2-0)

/Okello 6 pen, Ssemugabi 39/

Ghana - Mali 1-0 (0-0)

/Djiku 49/

Libya - Eswatini 2-0 (2-0)

/Eisay 8, El Mariamy 19/

Tuesday

16.00: (1.03) Kenya (15.0) Seychelles (75.0)

16.00: (1.17) Namibia (7.25) Sao Tome (17.0)

16.00: (2.05) Sierra Leone (3.30) Ethiopia (3.80)

16.00: (1.82) Tanzania (3.45) Niger (4.70)

16.00: (2.75) Zimbabwe (2.95) Rwanda (2.85)

19.00: (3.20) Burkina Faso (3.20) Egypt (2.35)

19.00: (2.95) Cape Verde (3.05) Cameroon (2.60)

19.00: (3.60) DR Congo (3.15) Senegal (2.20)

19.00: (2.55) South Africa (3.05) Nigeria (3.00)

19.00: (2.25) Togo (3.15) Sudan (3.45)

22.00: (1.20) Angola (6.50) Mauritius (16.0)

22.00: (1.60) Benin (3.60) Lesotho (6.75)

22.00: (3.80) Gabon (3.30) Ivory Coast (2.05)

22.00: (1.67) Gambia (3.60) Burundi (5.70)

22.00: (1.35) Mauritania (4.60) South Sudan (10.5)

***odds are subject to change***