If Mali ever had any doubt on Saturday, it came in the 26th minute. At the edge of the box, South Sudanese striker Atak Lual’s shot ricocheted off the goalpost, striking fear into the heavily favored Mali. Ranked 66th in the world, the visitors looked vulnerable to South Sudan, ranked 157th.
Nearly twelve hours of travel and a game-time temperature that reached 33 degrees drained Mali’s energy. Coaxing Mali’s defenders to the wing, the Bright Stars quick play smothered their opponents for the first twenty minutes. It appeared that South Sudan, facing a must win situation to qualify for the 2017 African Cup of Nations, might pull off one of the biggest upsets in the country’s football history.
Instead, Mali handily beat South Sudan 3-0, compounded by a red card from South Sudanese midfielder James Joseph. The loss virtually eliminates South Sudan from the African Cup of Nations.
Marshaled by Malian captain Sylla Yacouba, who plays professional football for Rennes in France, Mali commanded the midfield, threading passes at will. Yacouba led Mali’s crisp passing, distributing the ball to its speedy wingers to beat South Sudan’s porous defense.
In the 35th minute, Malian striker Diaby Abdoulaye nestled the ball at his feet, sidestepped two South Sudanese defenders, and sent the ball cooly into the back of the net. After being outworked by their opponents, Mali had broken the resistance.
In the 47th minute, Malian striker Maiga Modibo scored, piercing a South Sudanese defensive unit that was disorganized and was picked apart. South Sudan’s head coach, Elya Wako, said the team didn’t have enough time to prepare for the match.
“Within two weeks, what can you do. Mali played two friendly matches. They played Ghana and France.”
In the 80th minute, South Sudanese substitute Moga James received a red card for rashly retaliating against Yacouba.
South Sudan plays Equatorial Guinea in September.