Cote d’Ivoire showed a strong performance on Monday by defeating Mali 4-2 in their final Group D match at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
With this result, Cote d’Ivoire finished first in the group with seven points, while Mali ended with six points. Despite the loss, Mali had already qualified for the quarter-finals and the World Cup thanks to earlier wins against Angola and the Central African Republic.
This result allowed them to take first place and second places in the group and secure a spot in the quarter-finals and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Alynho Haïdara shined for Cote d’Ivoire, scoring two goals in the first 18 minutes—first from open play and then from a penalty kick. Moïse Diarrassouba added a third goal with a great finish just before halftime, giving Cote d’Ivoire a solid 3-0 lead.
Seydou Dembélé scored for Mali during first-half stoppage time. Although Mali got a chance to score again with a penalty in the second half, Dembélé’s shot was saved by the Ivorian goalie. Ndjicoura Bomba later made it 3-2 with a strong shot in the 69th minute.
However, any chance of a comeback ended in added time when Broulaye Cissé scored a spectacular long-range goal to make it 4-2 and secure the win.
In another match, Angola won 6-1 against the Central African Republic but did not advance to the quarter-finals; however, they will get a chance to play in the World Cup playoffs as one of the best third-placed teams.
