Africa: Mali U23 Coach Diallo - 'Conceding Early Goal Didn't Worry us'

26 June 2023
Confederation of African Football (Giza)

The head coach of Mali's U23 team Badara Alou Diallo has praised his players for the hard work which saw them defeat Gabon 3-1 in their opening match of the TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023.

Diallo's players were a class apart when they came from a goal down to win the Group B match played in Tangier on Sunday.

"First I want to congratulate my players for that performance and surely our hard work bore fruit. This was a very complicated match because Gabon gave us a difficult time in the first half," the coach said

Diallo said they had to change their approach after conceding an early goal. "Conceding an early goal didnot worry us because we know our abilities," added Diallo.

Despite the efforts of his players, the Mali coach admits that the red card given to the Gabon goalkeeper gave his team a small advantage to create more space and score more goals.

"I think we can prepare better and approach the last two Group B matches against Egypt and Niger with calmness," he added.

Mali will return to face the defending champions Mali on June 28th.

Read the original article on CAF.

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