Mali v Congo - Who will reach the semis?

It’s time for the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN), Cameroon 2020 quarterfinals. Mali face Congo in the first game of the final eight at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.

Mali proved themselves as one of the tournament favorites, having topped Group A that included hosts Cameroon, with seven points. Meanwhile Congo came second in Group B behind neighbors DR Congo on four points.

The Eagles of Mali, who missed last edition in Morocco 2018, want to go farther in the competition that they reached its final in 2016. With a group of young players that cut their teeth through the ranks of the youth teams, it maybe the time for Mali to achieve a continental glory.

“My players made a good start to the tournament,” Mali coach Nouhoum Diané said. “We shouldn't focus too much on the fact that we are favorites. We will play match by match and want to go as far as possible”.

Diané warned his players from their Congolese opponents, especially in a match that should end with a winner. “We have to take this game seriously. A victory against Congo will certainly do some good for some former players who lost the 1972 AFCON final against the same country here in Cameroon, but for us it is not about revenge. This is an old story,” he added.

For their part, Congo Red Devils do not want to let go in the quarterfinals, but to repeat the story of their ancestors who won their first – and only to date – AFCON title in 1972 especially in Cameroon.

“Our first goal w was to reach the quarterfinals and we achieved that,” said Congo coach Barthélemy Ngatsono. “We matched the result we achieved in 2018, but we must not stop here.”

Ngatsono said his side respects Mali, but they are targeting a place in the semis. “Mali is a very good team, but it's up to us to work harder to win the match and go to the next round,” he concluded.

The first quarterfinal match kicks off at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT)