Mali vs Zambia: Kamory Doumbia to lead Mali to victory?

by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Geoffrey Ejiga

image Mali vs Zambia: Kamory Doumbia to lead Mali to victory?
Against a relentless Zambia side in the opening game, it's the likes of Kamory Doumbia that Mali will rely on to secure the win. Doumbia has been Les Aigles (or The Eagles) best performer this year in front of goal. Mali will once again need his heroics, especially with Bissouma out for the opener and Morocco seemingly guaranteed the first slot in Group A after beating Comoros.

The Eagles Call, Will Kamory Doumbia Answer?

Doumbia, one of the highest-rated players for Stade Brest this season, must replicate his performances for his country in the 2025 AFCON. The pressure on Kamory to perform is even greater as Mali are already without star man Yves Bissouma for the opener against Zambia.

Still, The Eagles midfield might be in safe hands if Kamory brings his A-game. Doumbia played most of Mali’s games this year without Bissouma and went on to finish as the joint third-highest goal scorer (8) in the CAF World Cup qualifiers, alongside Victor Osimhen. What's more, for Brest this season, Doumbia has scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in 12 games, which is outstanding for a midfielder.

Unlike Bissouma, who takes on defensive duties, Doumbia's strength is on the offense, both in creating and scoring goals. He's currently 34th for big chances created in the French Ligue 1, despite missing four of the 16 games so far. But in a Mali jersey, it's Doumbia's ability to net goals that shines the most.

Kamory has scored five goals in his last seven games for Mali, and even netted two goals with an assist in his last three games for Brest. Even more interesting is the fact that Doumbia has racked up 15 goals for Mali in just 28 appearances.

At this rate, the 22-year-old is on track to break Seydou Kieta’s all-time goal-scoring record (25) for The Eagles in the coming years. But that all depends on how far they go in this tournament, which also depends on whether Kamory can help Mali beat Zambia and secure a knockout spot.

The Zambia Test: Can Doumbia’s Mali Secure a Win?

With Zambia’s current form, they might pose the easiest challenge for Mali. Chipolopolo have lost their last four games, and have tasted defeat in eight of their last nine. Zambia also conceded 17 goals in that nine-game span, averaging 1.88 goals allowed.

With that kind of defensive vulnerability, it's not hard to see Doumbia getting on the score sheet once more. In fact, the only time Kamory faced Zambia in his senior team career, he dropped the assist for the only goal of the game that saw Mali beat Zambia in a 2022 friendly.

For Chipolopolo, the game plan might fall to outscoring The Eagles, considering their own defensive lapses and the opponent's offensive strengths. In that scenario, we can expect to see Leicester City’s Patson Daka making defense-splitting runs into the box. While Daka has underperformed with just 1 goal in 21 games for Leicester this season, he remains Zambia’s highest goal scorer in 2025 with 3 to his name.