It was like a repetition of last year’s consolidation match of AFCON when Mali settled much optimistic Ghana on the fourth place on Saturday. Black Stars finished their AFCON 2013 journey in the same fashion as they did last year. Mali secured third spot in the tournament which is not a bad performance either. Notably, Mali has not won any AFCON title in the last thirty years, and this year too, it could not overcome Nigeria in the semis, but despite that, even a third place in a tournament is not bad for any team. For Ghana, it is more than a defeat this time, coz they have been playing in the semis for last four years but could not win the title. This year, they were overshadowed by Burkina Faso in the penalty shootout in the semis. This is the first time Burkina Faso has entered into the finals of Africa’s highest soccer event. Factually, Ghana has won four AFCON titles till date and their last triumph was in 1982, while for Mali, their best of the event was in 1972 when they finished as the runner up.
Goals
Ghana controlled the game for initial few minutes but Mali instantly took back the control and gained a lead in the 21st minute when Striker Mahamadou Samassa’s diving header near the penalty mark found the net. Having with a lead, Mali did not slow down their game; in fact, they continued their goal machine when Seydou Keita’s close shot, after a cross from the right, added another goal to their basket. It was his third one in the tournament. He also found the net in the 72nd minute but that one was declared offline by referee. Anyways, this did not affect Mali’s lead in any way coz Sigamary Diarra made it sure that no one can stop them being on the third spot for second consecutive time. Ghana offered some resistance in the last few moments when Kwadwo Asamoah scored a goal for its team, but it was too late by then. Moreover, Ghana also missed a penalty shot in the second half which could have brought them back in the game if they could succeed in it.
Mali dedicates their win to the conflict-torn situation back home where French troops are fighting with Islamist extremists. As AFCON is reaching to its final, excitement has tripled considering first time finalist Burkina Faso and Nigeria anxiety to lose the title. Anything is possible; keep your figure crossed!