Mali arch to Tangier animate that afterlife awaits as they adapt to face Senegal in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025, on Friday.
Les Aigles, whose finest achievement at the continental showpiece charcoal their run to the final in 1972 — a attack that concluded in defeat to Congo Brazzaville — are bent to baffle the allowance already afresh and accumulate animate their dream of appropriation a additional continental crown.
Guided by the accomplished Tom Saintfiet, Mali access this last-eight showdown awash with belief, alike as they access at this date afterwards a distinct achievement in accessible play. The Belgian agent batten to CAFOnline advanced of the affray with the Teranga Lions, analogue his ambitions and the mindset active his ancillary as they attending to advance their AFCON adventure alike further.
CAFOnline: How has you acquaintance at the TotalEnergies AFCON, Morocco 2025 been?
It has been a absurd AFCON so far. I acquire consistently admired Morocco for its adeptness to adapt above antic events. It is a admirable country with acceptable hotels, arresting stadiums and accomplished pitches for training. And now we see that the better teams are the ones larboard in the quarter-finals. We additionally acquire this aftereffect because the basement is perfect.
The atmosphere in the stadiums, with abounding spectators, has been great. We alternation at the Raja Academy and it’s absurd to alternation there. Overall, I absolutely like this AFCON. The alone baby botheration is the temperature and the rain, but that’s above our control.
I would say it’s a actual acceptable AFCON, able-bodied organized, with a abundant atmosphere. The supporters are actual absolute in the streets.
From a abstruse and appropriate perspective, what acquire been the key challenges for your aggregation in the matches played so far?
Each bout has been different. We started able-bodied adjoin Zambia but absent a penalty. We created abounding affairs in that bold and commonly should acquire won added comfortably, but again we conceded a 92 nd minute goal.
Against Morocco, we played actual able-bodied adjoin one of the best teams in the world. It’s a abashment that on a few accomplishments we would acquire admired VAR to intervene. But that’s football. We drew, but we could acquire won.
Against Comoros, there was some fatigue and nervousness. The aggregation acquainted annoyed and we didn’t comedy our best match. Then, in the Round of 16 adjoin Tunisia, admitting a red agenda afterwards 26 minutes, we played actual able-bodied and adapted to authorize for the quarter-finals.
It’s accurate that clearly we haven’t won a bout yet, but adjoin Zambia and Morocco we could acquire won. The best important affair is that today we are in the quarter-finals alongside all the better teams on the continent. We can alone be appreciative of ourselves.
Facing Senegal next, what do you see as the key factors in this quarter-final?
Senegal is one of the better teams on the continent. They acquire been at the accomplished akin for years and are actual stable, with abundant alone affection and able aggregation cohesion. In 2025, they acquire alone absent once, adjoin Brazil. They exhausted England and drew with Ireland, actual acceptable after-effects for an African team.
They are the favorites and we are the outsiders, and we acquire that. But we acquire already apparent adjoin Morocco and Tunisia that we are not afraid. We additionally acquire acceptable players. Our alone accident is not scoring as abounding goals as we would like, but we are actual acclimatized aback we don’t acquire the ball. Our plan is accessible for Senegal. We acquire a lot of account for them and we will do aggregate accessible to break in this antagonism until the end.
The angle out there is that your aggregation struggles to score. Is it accessible to go all the way in this manner?
In the amateur we acquire played, we acquire created abounding affairs but bootless to score. Of course, it’s added agreeable aback you win 1–0, 2–0 or 3–0, but the best important affair is that we are still actuality with the seven better African nations. I alike appetite to say: I don’t affliction if we don’t win in accessible play. I appetite to authorize at every date of the tournament.
I would not apperception alike a bit to draw all matches and win on penalties until appropriation the trophy. In football, you can comedy actual able-bodied and still lose 3–2. I adopt to qualify. That’s it. We are in clash mode.
Aback you attending at Senegal, what attributes do you anticipate you should be agog on about them?
They are a aggregation with actual acceptable players who acquire been arena at a actual aerial akin for the accomplished 10 years and acquire a lot of experience. The anatomy and alignment of the Senegalese Football Federation is aberrant and serve as an archetype for abounding African countries. Their alone affection is additionally outstanding, but I assurance my aggregation and we are focused on our own strengths. Afterwards that, we’ll see if it’s abundant or not.
You are in the quarter-finals now, but what would be a acknowledged AFCON for you?
Before the AFCON, we batten about extensive the semi-finals, and that charcoal our objective. As a drillmaster and as a player, you consistently appetite to win a title. We apperceive it’s not easy. Alike extensive an AFCON quarter-final is not simple. In the aftermost bristles editions, Mali accomplished the quarter-finals in 2023. Today, we are aback in the quarter-finals, which is not bad. But we appetite more.
I acquire acquaintance with The Gambia in Cameroon, area we absent actual abutting to the semi-finals — that hurt. This time, we will do aggregate to ability the aftermost four. Friday’s bout is our final. We will do aggregate to qualify. Our byword with the players is: “our dream, our history, and our moment.” This is our moment. There will not be addition opportunity.
Our dream of acceptable champions, our history that we are autograph together, and our moment — this AFCON here. We will accord aggregate for that. Hopefully, afterwards Friday’s match, we will break in Morocco because we adulation arena this AFCON actuality and we appetite to ability the semi-finals.