ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - Thousands of Egyptian fans showed up for Thursday's Group D World Cup qualifier opener at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, but Mali seemed unfazed, causing a huge upset.
Six months after defeating Mali 74–59 in the group phase of the 2025 AfroBasket tournament in Angola, Egypt struggled to keep up with Mali's relentless pace.
They played really well against our containing defence," - Egypt Head Coach, Agustin Julbe
The hosts were even trailing by as many as 23 points.
Each time Egypt attempted to catch up, Mali increased their pace, eventually winning 86–77.
Siriman Kanouté and Oumar, who have played together for almost a decade since their U17 AfroBasket days, were Egypt's main tormentors.
Kanoute and Ballo executed lethal pick-and-rolls that Egypt struggled to stop.
Kanoute, the playmaker, eventually finished with 22 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, while Ballo dominated Egypt's painted area with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
"They have known each other for many years. They have won African titles together. They have a good relationship on and off the court. Their chemistry will only grow stronger," said Mali head coach Alhadji Dicko when asked the impact of Kanoute and Ballo.
Even the Egyptian head coach, August Julbe, admitted that containing the two players was challenging.
"They did great," Julbe said. "They played really well against our containing defence. If it wasn't Siriman Kanoute with his lay-up floaters, it was Ballo with the rebounding."
"Maybe we felt the pressure of playing our first game at home, but we need to improve," - Julbe explained.
The key differences in the game are as follows:
- Egypt briefly took a one-point lead (19-18), but spent most of the game trailing. - Mali out-rebounded Egypt 53–39. - More than half (39) of Egypt's 77 points came from their bench. - Mali moved the ball better, finishing with 24 assists compared to Egypt's 14. - Ibrahima Haidara protected the Malian paint, finishing with a record-equalling six blocked shots.
FIBA