Mali and Burkina Faso secured their places in the semi-finals of the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Algeria on Thursday, while also booking their spots in the FIFA World Cup.
Mali claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory over Congo, with Ange Tia, Mamadou Doumbia, and Mohamoud Barry all finding the net for the Malian Eagles. Burkina Faso, on the other hand, worked hard to overcome pre-tournament favourites Nigeria 2-1.
Aboubacar Camara scored a brace for the Junior Stallions, with his first goal coming just before half-time, and his second from the penalty spot in the second half.
Nigeria had several missed chances throughout the game and only managed to pull one goal back through Abubakar Abdullahi in the 67th minute.
Nevertheless, it was too little too late, as Burkina Faso held on to secure their place in the semi-finals and the World Cup.
