Mali was denied what appeared a genuine penalty call.

The Eagles of Mali on Wednesday continued their impressive run at the ongoing African Nations Championships, CHAN, as they forced host South Africa to a 1-1 draw.

The Wednesday game in Cape Town was not without some shades of controversy as Mali were denied what looked like a genuine penalty call while South Africa were gifted a controversial penalty kick that put them ahead in the 35th minute.

It was Bernard Parker who slotted in the resultant kick which gave South Africa a 1-0 advantage going into the break.

The Eagles of Mali turned the game around nine minutes into the second half as Sidibe scored for Mali.

With the result from Wednesday’s early kickoff, South Africa maintains their slim advantage as table toppers owing to their superior goals difference, while Mali are in close second. Both teams have four points each.

To stand a better chance of progressing to the quarter finals, the Super Eagles or their Mozambique counterpart, must secure an outright win in the other Group A second match tie. Both teams lost their first games.