Following their TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group C opener victory over Burkina Faso in Annaba on Monday, Mali have been clear in their intention, with head coach Soumaila Coulibaly saying they are prepared to go all the way.
The Malians are returning to the tournament for the first time since 2017 when they won their second title, and Coulibaly says they are back to battle for their crown back.
He says starting their campaign with a win was a huge morale booster and notes that it propels them well into the rest of the competition.
“The ambition remains that we are here to battle for the title. We will work hard, keep winning and go all the way,” he said.
Looking back to the match against Burkina Faso, the tactician was elated to come off with victory, against a tough opponent.
“In the first half after we scored, we took control the game well. We could have scored some more goals. In the second half, Burkina Faso played the long ball and we had to be really good in defending them,” said the coach.
The former Malian international says their game was not devoid of errors and weakness, but notes they will work to seal any loopholes before they face off with defending champions Cameroon in their second and last match of the group.
“We lost a bit of our identity in the second half against Burkina Faso but we will try to improve this in the next match. It will be a difficult game but we will be ready,” noted the coach.