Desire to make history drives Mali ahead of Morocco duel

Mali’s head coach Soumaila Coulibaly and skipper Ibrahim Diarra say their hunger to make history of their own drives them to seek perfect results when they take on Morocco in the semi-final of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Constantine on Sunday.

Mali has won two titles, and they will become the tournament’s most successful team if they clinch the crown in Algeria.

“Mali’s history in the tournament is there and we are here to create a new history. As a coach I have never won this tournament and these players too have not won it. We want to be part of Malian football history as well and try to win it for ourselves,” Coulibaly said.

His sentiments are shared by skipper Diarra, who says the players’ hunger to get their hands on the title.

“We are here to create our own history with this group. All that Mali has achieved is in the past and now we want to create a new achievement,” the midfielder noted.

Mali come up against a familiar foe, having played against Morocco in two build up matches before the tournament. They lost the first game 1-0, but won the second 2-1.

Coach Coulibaly has also followed their performances in Algeria, where the finished top of Group B with two victories and won huge against hosts Algeria in the quarters, with a 3-0 result.

He is wary that they find themselves against a formidable opponent, but notes they have prepared well and their confidence is high.

“It will definitely be a tough game because they are a team that we know very well. The have performed at a good level in their matches so far and we know we will face a difficult opponent. But, as a technical team, we have worked on a good strategy that I believe will give us victory,” noted the coach.

His sentiments are shared by his captain. “They are a good side. We know how they play and their danger areas after we faced them in two friendly matches. They know us well too and it will be a closely contested tie.”

While Morocco have played four of their three matches so far in Constantine, Mali will be in the historic Algerian city for the first time, but they say it will not make a huge difference for them.