I just finished watching the game here and I was pleasantly surprised to see
the amazing team our Zone 2 rivals, Mali, have put together. They played in
true Malian fashion; strict and complete no nonsense football with one
notable addition to their football; a semblance of professionalism.  Mali has
done very well of late in youth tourneys around the world and this squad is
full of players who played in recent junior competitions.  You clearly see
the youth in some of these players who have long been snapped up by Euro
clubs which can provide the kind of facilities that would help get an up and
coming player to the next level.  Their foreign coach also seems to have done
and OK job in putting the side together.  At times today they seemed a bit
disjointed and prone to the mental blunder that better teams would punish
them for.  However, despite the occasional hiccups, I tip my hat off to the
Malians.  They showed what true hard work, organization and believing in
one's self can do..  They never looked overawed by the more accomplished S
Africans and put them on the defensive for long periods of the game with
incisive passing and flashy skills

I am extremely impressed at the guts and glory these Malian player showed
today.  I am still in awe of young players like Bagayoko, Basala Traore,
Keita. I mean, there were heroes all over the field for the Malians today.
Time and time again, they made the S. Africans look really bad, hardly a
quality one would expect from a team that will be representing Africa in the
next WC.

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