World Cup qualification wont distract us, says Malis coach

MALIS coach, Sekou Diallo, has said that his boys would not be distracted by their world Cup qualification because winning the African Youth Championship (AYC) is an ambition they want to accomplish.Diallo admitted that the trophy-winning feat achieved by the Ghanaians at the last World Youth Championship in Egypt has put a lot of pressure on African teams at this years edition in Columbia, adding, however, that taking the AYC trophy back to Bamako would put the team in good stead for the world championship battle.I know Ghana is now a reference point for all the African teams that will be in Colombia. But for me, we are concentrating on the semi-final game and winning the AYC trophy, he said.While commending his players for their determination to excel, he said that having 100 per cent record so far in the competition has given his players the confidence to move on in the competition. He added: I must commend my players for beating an impressive Egyptian team despite battling with 10 men for 80 minutes.We can now be calm and wait for others to qualify to know who will get to play in the next round. When we lost a player, we had to organise ourselves to defend and attack massively and with that spirit, we were able to get the goal that gave us victory.
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