The African champions booked their place in the semi-finals after edging the Eagles 1-0 in a tense last-eight clash.
Iliman Ndiaye scored the all-important goal in the 27th minute after he capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Mali suffered a blow in the added minutes of the first half after midfielder Yves Bissouma was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. The red card denied Mali an opportunity to draw level as the Lions of Teranga held on to register the vital win.
Mali team has good quality
Speaking after the game, Thiaw conceded they had played against a very good Malian side but added they should have scored more than one goal had they been clinical in front of the goal.
"It was not an easy match because we played against a very talented Mali team, but we achieved our objective. The Mali team has good qualities and they created many challenges for us,” Thiaw told CAF Media.
“If we had been more clinical in front of goal, we could have scored more goal,s but what is more important today is for us to have qualified for the semi-final. We will look into our errors and look to correct them for our future matches.”
Thiaw concluded: “We hope that we will be more efficient in front of goal and have more luck in future."
Goalscorer Ndiaye said: “I am happy to have won this award, but the most important thing is that we have progressed to the semi-finals of the competition.
“We played very well today and it shows that we are improving match after match. I am confident that my colleagues and I will focus on the next match to play at our best level and deliver for our fans.”
Mali coach Tom Saintfiet praised his players for the performance, adding they had shown the world what they are made of despite the defeat.
“It was an interesting and difficult match for us because we had to play large parts of the game with ten men. But that doesn't take away the fact that my players played gallantly and played very well,” said Saintfiet.
“I am proud of them for the performance they put up not just in today's match but throughout the competition.
“We have shown the world what we are made of. Together with my staff we will analyse our matches and see what we can do better in future.”
While Mali will head home, Senegal will face Saturday’s winner between record champions Egypt and holders Ivory Coast.
