Ghana, Mali settle for third place match

Ghana fan

The third place match of the 2015 African U-20 Championship will take place on Saturday at the Sedar Senghor Stadium in Dakar, Senegal, between two tournament hopefuls, Ghana and Mali, who couldn’t make it to the final.

The junior Eagles of Mali unexpectedly became a team to beat at the tournament following their flawless run in the group stage. However, they were halted in the semi-finals by host team Senegal 2-1.

Mali coach Fanyeri Diarra was very disappointed at his team’s exit from the race to clinch gold. Their qualification for the 2015 Fifa U-20 World Cup in New Zealand seems not a sufficient compensation for the coach.

“We didn’t come here to play third place match or earn qualification to the junior World Cup. We had come for the trophy. We wanted to win this edition like our U17 team won theirs last month in Niger,” Diarra said in a post-match press conference.

If Diarra and his charges fail to cure the hangovers and emotions from their semi-final debacle, it could expose them to more suffering, this time at the hands of Ghana.

While facing the press after their final training session on Friday, Diarra said he would do his best against the Black Satellites, admitting that it would be difficult for his demoralised team.

Could Ghana exploit that?

They look livelier and more ambitious than the Malians. A third place title would put some smiles on their faces after they succumbed to Nigeria’s push 2-0 in the second semi-final.

Coach Sella Tetteh says Saturday’s third place match will open their preparations for the U-20 World Cup, which begins end of May.

“I was unable to repeat our 2009 victory on the continental scene, but that does not mean we cannot repeat what we did in the World Cup. We have to start preparing now,” he said.

The bronze medal meeting will be staging two teams with different spirit and motivation. Mali seem to be out of the competition and would be appearing for formality sake while Ghana are willing use it as groundwork for the New Zealand gathering.

The eventual outcome might not be used to judge their actual strength but life after the Senegal 2015.