Mali keep KO hopes alive

Mali kept themselves in the running for a place in the knockout stages with a 3-0 thrashing of Turkey in a Group B match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup here on Monday.

Djemoussa Traore put the Africans ahead in the 38th minute before Lassana N'Diaye (68th) and Fode Konate (86th) scored late in the game to add some extra gloss to the scoreline. Mali, who fell 2-3 to Paraguay in their first game, now have three points from two matches. The African outfit were on the attack right from the opening whistle and Turkey will thank their goalkeeper Berke Ozer for putting up a stellar display and averting a bigger margin of defeat.

The Turkish defenders struggled against the electric pace of the Malian forwards.

The Africans finally made their domination count when a perfectly weighted through ball from Hadji Drame put Traore in a one on one situation with the Turkish custodian. Traore made no mistake, finding the back of the net with a calm finish. Turkey made a couple of substitutions around half-time which helped them build some momentum.

But Mali doubled their lead when a shot by Abdoulaye Diaby bounced off the Turkish post and N'Diaye was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Konate scored with a powerful attempt from the edge of the Turkish penalty area in the dying minutes to make the issue safe for Mali.