The-Shot.Net Writers Club - Mali

Feb 7 1300 GMT Mali - Guinea 2:1 (final score)

Before the match:
A rare chance for outsiders: Mali, Guinea, Morocco, Algeria cannot meet one of the big four tournament favorites before the final. Seldom it was easier for a dark horse team to get into the big exhibition match of African football. > more
Mali has been more stabile, a compact organisation and in Kanoute a finisher who seems to guarantuee goals from small numbers opportunities. Sometimes a little boring to watch (certainly rather pleasing fans of Italian football).
Guinea are the more exciting team but they lack that professional consequence in front of both goals: their defence, although impressive in particular one to one situations, is purous, and their spectacular striking force display extraordinary talent in creating and wasting clearcut chances.
Sometimes similar styles neutralise each other. Guineas inconsistency could provide for this West African duel will get more exciting than the dull Mali - Senegal or Senegal - Burkina Faso.

1st half:
-match rescheduled to 1300 GMT
-some hundred, maybe a few thousand spectators
Mali with the better beginning and goalscoring opportunities, but Guinea taking the lead after 15 minutes through Feinduno. A fast coounter attack and a brilliant direct pass by Titi Camera hat set up Feinduno in an undefended slot. From then on a more balanced affair and Guinea wasting a huge opportunity in the 45th minute to score a second goal.
The counter attack sees a big mistake by a Guinean defender (a foul against him?) surrendering the ball to Kanoute who is one on one with the keeper and scores the equaliser.

halftime 1:1
the injury time of 1st half with maybe a devastating double shock to the Guineans. First missing a golden opportunity to score the second goal and seconds later the equaliser by Kanoute. A psychologial shock fitting into the image of the Guinean game of the first round.

2nd half:
- As in the games before Mali better organised on the field, better occopying spaces. Guniea creative but with errors as well
-('52) Mali: Kanoute again takes the ball away with an physical effort from his defender with the approval of the referee
-('53) Mali #20 Dramane is totally unmarked at a cross from the right but the Guinean defender parries his shot in great manor
-('58) Guinea: spectacular volley by Titi Camera from outside the penalty area but right into the hands of the keeper
-('60) Guinea: this time it is Sylla who takes the ball away from the defender and opens up a huge opportunity for Guinea, a harmless shot puts a disappointing end to the attack
-huge errors by defenders in ball possession today on both sides
-('61) Mali: Kanoute is through and running towards the keeper. But he saves the low shot by his foot.
-('61) Mali: Sissoko in for Dramane
-('63) Guinea neatly circulate the ball but eventually lose it in midfield and so invite Mali for a counter attack. This time they can stop it.
-('66) Mali: kanoute with a stupid retaliation against Mansare. He is lucky that he is not playing against Tunisia: although Mansare is trying to make the most out of it, the referee thinks yellow is the right statement.
-the match has developed to a match in which the Guineans attack and the Malians try to conquer the ball by agressively attacking the Guinean players who try to spread the ball around. When they do they have much more space than their opponents did. Still it seems no option for Guinea to adapt the same strategy because their defence is weaker (and has its better scenes rather in one to one anyway), while their strength is their attacking creativity
-('75) Guniea: Titi Camera volleys a Feinduno cross - but over the bar
-('76) unbelievable: again a defender is deprived of the ball by a pressing attacker: this time it is Titi Camera who takes the ball away from a Malian defender. But his cross is whistled off for an offside position.
-('79) Seydou Keita in for Bassala Touré
-('80) Guinea pressure the Malian half for a long time now, after a corner, a chip misses the Malian goal only by half a meter
-('82) Guinea appeal for a penalty when Sylla is brought down inside the penalty area, but the Malian defender had played the ball as well
-('83) Guinea: Mansare sends through feinduno by a brilliant cross but Feinduno fires across the bar from about 14 meters
-the Guineans smell their chance to win the match now: they keep up the pressure, do alot of running
-but their defence is showing signs of nervousness again as approaching the last minutes of regular time
-('87) Guinea: neat attack puts Titi Camera in shooting position but he does not hit it properly and so it rolls wide
-('88) Guinea: huge opportunity as Mansare breaks through on the left, passes in front of the goal where the ball is missed by a striker, the second ccrossing attempt from the right hand side is deflected by a defender against the outside of the goalpost
-Mali with their backs to the wall
-('90+1) Mali: a desperate attempt by Diarra from 20 meters slips through the hands of the keeper - 2:1
-('90+4) Guinea: a last fre kick into the wall

final score 2:1
A cruel ending for Guinea who were clearly the better team in the second half. But in modern football preventing from big errors is the fundament for getting scores. And two concentration errors at the end of each half. cost Guniea the match. Mali in this form are no great team.