Mali national team, popularly known as the Eagles (Les Aigles in French) are led by experienced former Senegal and PSG coach Alain Giresse.
The Eagles are currently ranked 60th in the world .The book of the Mali national team’s AFCON adventures is eventul and full of historic moments.
Colorful History
Mali first appearance at the Nations Cup was in 1972 during the event that was hosted by Cameroon.
The West Africans announced their arrival in the continental scene in a style, advancing to the finals before losing 2-3 to the Congo-Brazzavile.From the event they had to wait for 22 years as qualification proved to be difficult.
In 2002 and 2004 editions,the Malians managed a forth place but their next outings in 2008 and 2010 they were bundled out in the first round.
The Eagles made amends in 2012 with their second -best tournament finish.This time round silencing Ghana 2-0 to finish third having lost to a solitary goal to Ivory Coast in the semifinals.
In the past decade Mali has witnessed emergence of talents like midfielders Seydou Keita ,Mahamadou Diarra and striker Frederic Kanoute.
During this period that Mali football made proggress and have failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations only once.Thier record has also seen them reach the semi-finals on four occasions.
Their qualification for this year’s edition was straight forward. Wins at home to South Sudan and away to Equatorial Guinea put in to ink Eagles’ participation in the tournament.
Mali at Afcon 2017
Drawn into Group D with continental powerhouses Egypt and Ghana, Mali are the outsiders for knock-out stage qualification by a comfortable margin. However, it would foolish to think Les Aigles will go out without quite the fight.
Infamous for their combative, physical style of play, Mali will rely on their defensive prowess to steal points from Egpty and the Ghana ahead of their third match-day date with Uganda. And with Group D as difficult as it is, a victory over Uganda and a draw against one of their more talented group rivals may just be enough to wiggle into the knock-out stages.
Encounters between Mali and their other two group rivals are even more sparse – a fact that may work in their favour. With both Ghana and the Egypt unaccustomed to Mali’s physical brand of play, the Eagles potentially stand a better chance at snatching points from their more esteemed group mates.
Key Players
Expreienced Troyes’ defender Mahamodou N’Diaye will be carrying his form for club to the heart of Mali defence and has remained a crucial element of his national team squad.Having impressing recard both in the nation’s cap N’Diaye will be looked upon to guide his more inexperienced teammates.
Eagles are certainly known for its physical brand of football, they will need more than just a combative midfield to advance past the group stages.
In the hunt for goals, the West African nation will be relying upon in-form Bakary Sako .The Crystal Palace winger scored 2015 Africa Cup of Nation goal of the tournament and has been a regular in scoring important goals for the national team.
Elsewhere on the pitch, Mola Wague figures to feature prominently in Mali’s African Cup of Nations plans. The left-back, who plays for Italy’s Udinese, excels at sprinting forward into attacking positions. And with Mali’s reliance on crosses into the box, that skill may be called upon.
One to Watch
Alain Giresse squad constist of experienced players with veterans making most part of the squad, there remains a few young players capable of breaking through on the continent’s biggest stage – most notably, Rostov’s Moussa Doumbia .
Mali’sAfcon 2017 squad:
Goalkeeper: Djigui Diarra (Stade Malien de Bamako, Mali), Soumaïla Diakité (Stade Malien de Bamako, Mali), Oumar Sissoko (Orléans, France)
Defenders: Ousmane Coulibaly (Panathinaïkos Greece), Hamari Traoré (Reims, France), Molla Wagué (Udinese, Italy), Salif Coulibaly (T.P Mazembé, R.D Congo), Mohamed Oumar Konaté (Renaissance Berkane, Morocco), Youssouf Koné (Lille, France), Charles Traoré (Troyes, France), Mahamadou N’Diaye (Troyes, France)
Midfielders: Yacouba Sylla (Montpellier, France), Adama Traoré (AS Monaco, France), Mamoutou N’Diaye (RS Antwerp, Belgium), Lassana Coulibaly (Bastia, France), Sambou Yatabaré (Werder Bremen, Germany), Samba Sow (Kayeseryspor, Turkey), Ives Bissouma (Lille, France), Souleymane Diarra (Ujpest, Hungary), Falaye Sacko (Vitoria Guimaraes, Portugal)
Strikers: Moussa Maréga (Victoria, Guimarães, Portugal), Mustpaha Yatabaré (Krademir Karabukspor, Turkey), Adama Traoré (T.P Mazembé, R.D Congo) Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace, England), Moussa Doumbia (Rostov, Russia), Kalifa Coulibaly (La Gantoise, Belgium)
