Mali’s U-23 national team secured a place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Morocco 2023 with a commanding 2-0 victory over Niger. The match took place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
In the first half of the game, both teams displayed intense physicality, but there were limited scoring opportunities, with no shots on target recorded.
Mali came close to threatening Niger’s defense when Mamadou Sangare unleashed a powerful shot that missed the target. Niger’s Rahim Hassan also had a strong strike that narrowly missed the left post of the Malian goalkeeper.
In the second half, Mali started with determination and broke the deadlock in the 49th minute through a penalty kick converted by Mamadou Sangare, giving them a 1-0 lead. Niger tried to equalize but struggled to find the back of the net due to Mali’s solid defense.
In the 90th minute, Mali extended their lead with a powerful strike from Cheickna Diawara, receiving a well-placed pass from the left side. The shot beat Niger’s goalkeeper, making the final score 2-0 in favor of Mali.
Mali will now face the host country, Morocco, in the semi-finals, which will take place in Rabat on Tuesday.
History has been written ✍️
Mali are into the #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23 final four for the first time ever 👏🇲🇱 pic.twitter.com/z4IyIeFCMM
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU23 🏆 (@CAF_Online) July 1, 2023
