The Young Eagles with Mamady Diambou in their ranks twice battled back in the U23 African Cup of Nations semi-final against Morocco, only for Mali's youngsters to miss out on a spot in the final after a penalty shoot-out.

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Mamady Diambou put in a superb performance and levelled for 1-1 in extra time. Despite Mali being knocked out of the competition, our young midfielder was named Man of the Match for his great showing.

The entire team deserved the honour of Man of the Match. We showed character and gave our all but are going back feeling disappointed.

Mamady Diambou

There is now a clash for third place against Guinea ahead. Anyone thinking there was nothing at stake in that would be sorely mistaken, as the winners of the game are to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

We need to learn from our mistakes before the match against Guinea, in which we have another chance to ensure qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Mamady Diambou

Photo: © CAF

Mamady Diambou shines in U23 AFCON semi-final