Profile Of Mali U-17: The Black Horse's Desire To Win In Indonesia

JAKARTA Mali U-17 merupakan salah satu kuda hitam di Piala Dunia U-17 2023 Indonesia. Mereka sukses melewati babak penyisihan Piala Dunia U-17 sebagai runner-up Grup B.

Les Aigles, nicknamed Mali U-17, won twice and lost once in that phase. Qualifying for the last 16 made them meet the former two-time champion, Mexico U-17.

Their move was smooth at the start of the knockout phase. A 5-0 big win led Soumaila Coulibaly's men to the quarter-finals.

In the next eight, the Coulibaly squad will meet with their rivals from Africa, Morocco U-17. The duel between the two teams will be held at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Saturday, November 25, 2023.

The 2023 U-17 World Cup is the sixth appearance for the U-17 Mali in the history of this biennial tournament. They made their debut in this tournament in 1997.

In that span of time, Mali U-17's best performance took place in Chile in 2015. At that time, they were runners-up after losing against Nigeria U-17 starring Victor Osimhen in the final.

Mali U-17 posted a ticket to Indonesia after becoming the semifinalist of the 2022 U-17 Africa Cup. At that time, their desire to become champions in the event was dashed in the hands of Morocco U-17 in the semifinals.

They lost 5-6 on penalties. Then, Les Aigles only ranked fourth in the 2022 U-17 Africa Cup after losing 1-2 to Burkina Faso U-17 in third place.

Profile Coach Of The Mali U-17 National Team

Soumaila Coulibaly has been in the Mali U-17 coaching chair since last year. Prior to this trust, the former Freiburg and Borussia midfielder Monchengladbach coached Mali U-15.

During his time as a player, Coulibaly was recorded as making 60 appearances with the Mali national team. In addition, he has also been the captain of the Mali national team.

Important Player: Ibrahim Diara

This talented striker was one of the main powers in Mali U-17 during the 2023 U-17 World Cup. The captain gave three assists to help his country reach the semifinals of the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup.

Diarra has also contributed to scoring two goals for Mali U-17 at the 2023 U-17 World Cup. He scored each of the two goals when he met Canada U-17 in the last match of the group and Mexico U-17 in the round of 16.

Diara is currently still playing for Africa Foot. However, recently he is said to have been on the radar of several major European clubs.