Mali defeated Cameroon 2-0 on Thursday in Annaba to advance to the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This has placed the defending champions in a very difficult position ahead of their next game.
Mahamoud Barry scored with four minutes remaining, and Mamadou Doumbia scored in stoppage time.
Mali now has six points after their second straight win in the group, securing first place, while the defending champions Cameroon must now defeat Burkina Faso in their last group game to have any hope of moving on.
The group is down to three teams after South Sudan was eliminated before the start of the competition. The top two teams advance automatically to the quarterfinals, and the third-placed team must wait to find out if they were among the top two in their respective groups among the three.
In the 86th minute, Barry outran the offside trap to receive a pass from captain Ibrahim Diarra, beating the keeper one on one.
And in extra time, Doumbia added the cherry on top with a stunning goal, curling the ball beyond the keeper from almost 25 yards out.
Only a quarter of an hour after Cameroon had missed a wonderful opportunity, the two-time champions scored. Essono Dipanda had done well to cut back a cross onto the outside of the six-yard box from the left, but Dorinel Yondjo’s close-range attempt was skied.
Mali took advantage of their finest opportunity in a challenging contest that featured a delicate balance of opportunities in either half.
In the first half, there were no shots on goal. Yondjo blundered his lines when he broke into the box from a chipped ball behind the defence, while Harouna Djibirin of Cameroon had a fine effort curl wide from close range.
While Mali has their group phase campaign wrapped up and is waiting for the third-place team from either Group A or B in the quarterfinals, Cameroon will play Burkina Faso on Sunday under pressure to win.
By Amina Hilda
