After losing 0-1 against Tunisia at their home ground of the Stade du 26 mars de Bamako in the qualifying play-off for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Mali are far from being eliminated, assured their players in separate media interviews.
“We are disappointed with the result but it’s only the first leg,” said captain Hamari Traoré, who was suspended for this first meeting.
“The players got their jerseys wet, we weren’t able to take advantage of our highlights”, admitted the Malian defender who firmly believes in his team’s chances of reversing the trend.
“I’m going to take this opportunity to congratulate the public who came out en masse, it’s just a false start and I hope the public will continue to support us,” added the Eagles’ right-back.
“We have the means and the will to do it, to succeed in this historic qualification”, insisted Traoré.
Silent on Friday against Tunisia, striker Ibrahima Koné, who scored three goals at CAN TotalEnergies 2021, also keeps the faith of seeing his team qualify for the World Cup.
The new striker from Lorient (France) also wanted to congratulate the Malian public for having come en masse and “for these supporters, we will play the qualification” in Tunisia.
Le défenseur Kiki Kouyaté a abondé dans le même sens de la volonté de ses coéquipiers et de lui-même de rectifier ce faux pas de la manche aller.
“Nous devons continuer à y croire”, a-t-il insisté.