Mali’s Tia dejected with defeat, but proud of teammates
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Malian forward Ange Martial Tia was dejected with his team’s failure to make it to the final of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but said he was proud of the effort put in by his team.
Mali lost 6-5 on penalties to Morocco in the semis at the Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine on Sunday night, their dreams of a record extending third title sifting through their fingers.
“As a team, we did everything we could but it was nit enough to get us a win. We are sad, but we will lift our heads high knowing that we gave our best,” Tia said.
The forward was named man of the match in the duel, having played a critical role especially offensively, but they were not lucky to unlock a tactically disciplined Moroccan backline.
“We dominated and didn’t win, but that is football. We have a lot of lessons we have picked from the tournament and we will continue working to see that we are a better team and also better as individual players,” noted Tia.
He now says the team will put their focus on the play-off duel against Burkina Faso to ensure that they leave with the tournament with a medal at least.
