The men were separated from the boys when Mali defeated Bafana Bafana 2-0 in their first African Cup of Nations clash at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday.
Bafana played well in the first half and should have scored two goals but Hugo Broos’s side were wasteful.
Mali defender Sikou Niakaté committed a foul on Evidence Makgopa and after VAR consultation, a penalty was given and the defender was shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
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Tau was tasked with the penalty but the Al Ahly striker failed to give his team the lead after sending his penalty over the bar.
Bafana suffer defeat in their first Afcon match
The striker has two more opportunities in the first half to put Bafana one up but he failed to find the back of the net.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos was left surprised by the miss.
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In the second half, Mali decided to come at Bafana and were rewarded in the 60th minute when Hamari Traori pounced on a rebound from a free-kick.
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Lassine Sinayoko put Mali two up a few minutes late to seal the game for the West Africans.
Bafana next play Namibia looking for a quick response.
Mali and Namibia are now top of the group and both just need a draw to qualify for the last 16.
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