Mali achieved a historical feat on Sunday when they beat Senegal 3-2 on penalties to claim their first ever U20 Cup of Nations trophy at the Niamey stadium in Niger.
Boubacar Traore opened the scoring for Mali in the 16th minute, the forward dribbled past a defender before brilliantly slotting the ball on the left-hand side of the goalkeeper.
Senegal forged ahead for an equalizer before the end of the first 45 minutes but Mali stood their ground with an organized style of play in every department.
Senegal coach Dabo made a lot of attacking changes in the second half as he looked to get back in the game.
Senegal hard work paid off when Souleymane Aw pounced on a rebound to level for his team with an overhead kick in the 75th minute of the game.
Both sides had few chances to seal the game but couldn’t find a breakthrough before the referee ended the second half.
Mali came out victorious in the penalty shoot-out, thanks to their goalkeeper who made an important save to put them in a position to win the prestigious tournament.
South Africa emerged as bronze winners on Saturday after beating Nigeria to claim third-place. All the last four teams have already qualified for the U20 World Cup that will take place in Poland.
