Mali easily beat visiting Congo-Brazzaville 4-2 on Saturday in Group 10 of the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Barcelona's new signing Seydou Keita got the game off to a flying start with a goal in the very first minute.
Congo levelled things up just five minutes later through Mickalad Mouithys.
The Eagles took the lead again on 32 minutes as Adama Coulibaly found the target.
His namesake Soumaila Coulibaly added the third goal seven minutes before half-time.
Keita than wrapped up the three points with a goal just after the interval.
Mouithys scored his second of the match with 20 minutes remaining but it was not enough.
The other Group 10 game between Sudan and Chad was postponed by football's world governing body, Fifa.
The move came after Sudan broke off diplomatic relations with Chad earlier this month, which followed a rebel attack near the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Fifa are yet to decide the fate of the match and of the reverse fixture scheduled for September.
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