AFCON 2021: Mali’s Time Is Now!

Fun fact; the last time Cameroon hosted the AFCON, Mali reached the finals of the tourney.

Years have come and gone by with Mali providing the African continent with a queue of talents, but the nation is yet to buckle a gold medal in the competition, since coming in as debutants in 1972.

Mali, a landlocked country in interior of Western Africa, made up of 20. 25 million (as per a census conducted in 2020), can be brandished a football mill, on the continent.

From EX Barca midfeilder – Seydou Keita, to former Real skipper – Mahamadou Diarra, and Salif Keita (242 career goals), Mali has proven its worth on a talent basis, in Africa.

The AFCON 2021 finals in Cameroon will be Mali’s 12th in 33 competitions played. There is a sense of hope from a Malian context, given that, the last time a selection from Mali visited Cameroon – was for the CHAN 2020, and they ended up as beaten finalists to Morocco. Coupled with their 1972 AFCON finals played in Cameroon, fans of the Eagles are beginning to think that Cameroon is a good hunting ground.

AFCON path

Mali missed out on 7 AFCON tourneys from the time of the event’s inception in 1957. The team’s debut in 1972 however led to a losers medal; their first and only, till date.

Mali made it out of group A in 1972 with three draws, including their one – all draw against hosts Cameroon. Mali then defeated the former Zaire, now known as DR Congo; 4-3 on penalties, before falling to the Congo (3-2) in the final.

Mali had a lengthy spell on the sidelines, watching from home between 1974 to 1992, before surfacing with three fourth place finishes in: 1994, 2002 and 2004.

Mali then made themselves history, but for the wrong reasons in 2008, as they were booted out of the group stage – for the first. The same obtained in 2010 in Angola.

The Eagles however resuscitated and made back-to-back third place finishes in 2012 and 2013, but since then, they only made it out of the group again in 2019, when they got eliminated in the round of 16s.

Coach

Vastly experienced Mohamed Magassouba is the man charged with taking Mali to the top of the continent, in January/February.

The latter, who former managed DR Congo in 1997,
was caretaker manager between September 2017 and July 2019, before becoming permanent manager in October 2019. He enjoys counter attacking football.

Playing against Magassouba and his team, there’s a danger of always coming up against fast and direct attacks that occurs from a moment of transition (when his team wins the ball from the other mid-game).

Mali’s style of play consist of minimal passes and their purpose is to create a goal-scoring opportunity before the opposition can recover their defensive shape.

Road to the AFCON 2021

Mali qualified as one of 24 teams to Cameroon, with an impressive record, throughout their qualifiers campaign.

Mali bagged 13 out of a possible 18 points in group A, two points ahead of group runners-up Guinea.

Complete results

Mali 2-2 Guinea
Chad 0-2 Mali
Mali 1-0 Namibia
Namibia 1-2 Mali
Guinea 1-0 Mali
Mali 3-0 Chad

Players to watch

Mo Camara

Midfeilder – Mo Camara has been a stand out player for both club and country this football calendar year. The youngster was voted Salzburg player for the month of November, plus, he was omnipresent during the qualifiers.

Aside from holding the middle of the park, Camara bumps up occasionally with a goal or two. He scored for Mali on match day two of the qualifiers, against Chad.

Adama Traore

Adama Traore, 26, was of utter importance for coach Magassouba and his team in the qualifiers phase. Blink twice, and Traore pops up with an eye blinding pass for a teammate.

Yves Bissouma

Brighton and Hove Albion star, Yves Bissouma rarely kicked a ball in the qualifiers campaign, but the erstwhile Lille player has been in fine form for Brighton this season. Bissouma illuminated the 2017 AFCON with one of the goal’s of the tournament against Uganda. He will look forward to getting more of such, in Cameroon.

Moussa Marega

Striker Moussa Marega has been with the Eagles’ first team since 2015, and will look to bring his experience to the party, given that Mali has a relatively younger side. Marega has scored in each ocassion of the last two AFCON’s in 2017 and 2019.

Moussa Djenepo

Moussa Djenepo’s season has been interrupted by frequent injury worries for the Saints this season. He, however, remains a vital component if Mali wishes to go deep into the tournament. Djenepo played two games in the qualifiers: the home and reversed fixture against Guinea.

Amadou Haidara

Manchester United transfer target, Amadou Haidara is a full package at just 23. The RB Leipzig man is combative and will look to combine with other midfeilders to put opposing teams in duress.

Al Ahly’s Aliou Dieng is equally a player worth the watch. The latter had a wonderful last season, as he led his team to the CAF champions league trophy.

Mali are paired in group F alongside: Tunisia, Mauritania and Gambia.

Mali starts her campaign against Tunisia on January 12, before meeting Gambia and Mauritania on the 16th and 20th respectively.