CAN 2024: Mali, almost 60 years of curse of the Eagles against Ivory Coast
To hope to compete in the semi-finals of CAN 2024, Mali will have to break, in the quarter-finals, the curse which often prevents it from beating Côte d'Ivoire. In more than 30 confrontations, the Eagles have only won four times against the Elephants.
Didier Drogba prays after Ivory Coast's victory (1-0) against Ousmane Coulibaly's Mali in the semi-final of the CAN 2012 in Gabon. AFP - FRANCK FIFE
By: Ndiasse Sambe Follow
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From our special correspondent in Bouaké,
“
Mali powerful
!” (“
Mali too powerful
”), the rallying cry of the Mali national team often resonated in the Eagles' games when it was necessary to attack their opponents. But faced with the tough armor of the Elephants, the Malians were generally disillusioned. Mali-Côte d'Ivoire, a derby between very close neighbors, has in fact too often turned to the advantage of the Ivorians. The history of confrontations is clear: since their first meeting in 1965, in the 32 matches played between the two countries, Mali has lost 19 times, for only 4 victories and 9 draws.
“Even in the time of Salif Keïta, Mali did not beat Ivory Coast
”
A statistic which has the gift of making Ivorian supporters optimistic on the eve of the quarter-final of
CAN 2024
between their Elephants and the Eagles of Mali, this Saturday February 3 in Bouaké (5 p.m. UT).
It's a sort of curse that the Malian team cannot definitively break and which persists through generations of players. Amadou Pathé Diallo, former Malian international, ex-assistant coach of the selection, was also a victim of “fate”. “
I was the first captain of Mali’s first junior team in 1983
,” he says.
For our first match, we beat Ivory Coast, 2-1. Same score in the return match for the Ivorians, and we lost on penalties. For my last match in the selection, I was also beaten by Côte d'Ivoire, 3-1 in Bouaké. I played five or six matches against them, as a player or coach, I never managed to beat them. Long before us, we were told that even in the time of Salif Keïta, Mali did not beat Ivory Coast
. »
“Do not plunge into disaster”
The former Sporting Portugal player was also present at CAN 2012, when Ivory Coast ended Mali's dream of playing in their first African Cup final since 1972, by eliminating them in the semi-final (1-0). The coach at the time, Alain Giresse, remembers that the “curse” was a subject on everyone’s lips. “
Being in Mali and talking about a match against Ivory Coast is like talking about a country that was not successful for you. All of a sudden, we were plunged into a context that could put something negative in people's minds. It could possibly leave some traces in people's minds
, recognizes the French technician.
But we must not fixate on these statistics, otherwise we will plunge into disaster. We have to stay positive.
»
If he does not predict the victory of his team against the Ivorians, Pathé Diallo announces that Mali-Côte d'Ivoire this Saturday, February 3 will be "
the biggest derby in the history of Malian football
." So no question for the Eagles to be this time again “
Mali… powerless
” against the Elephants.
The comments of Amadou Pathé Diallo and Alain Giresse were collected by Éric Mamruth.
Read alsoCalendar, results and rankings of CAN 2024 matches
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