Mali thumps Argentina to finish third at the U-17 World Cup

Mali are the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze medalist.

Calvin Kaumba Chikenge Published December 1, 2023

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Salif Noah Leintu of Mali celebrates victory following the FIFA U-17 World Cup 3rd Place Final match between Argentina and Mali at Manahan Stadium on December 01, 2023 in Surakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Alex Caparros - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images,)

Mali defeated Argentina 3-0 on Friday to finish third in this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Manahan stadium in Indonesia.

Ibrahim Diarra, who had scored against France in the semifinal, opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and Mamadou Doumbia doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime with a clinical header.

Take a bow Hamidou Makalou! 👏🇲🇱#U17WC pic.twitter.com/47bP87IQj8
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 1, 2023

Despite Argentina’s best efforts after the restart, Hamidou Makalou’s strike effectively ended the game within three minutes.

The Albiceleste, who had raised eyebrows earlier in the tournament after a commanding win over arch-rival Brazil, finished fourth for the third time in tournament history (2001, 2013, 2023).

Mali, who were the runner-up of the 2015 edition, won five of their seven games and scored 18 goals in the tounamenet.

Meanwhile, France and Germany will tomorrow clash in the final for the first prize at Manahan at 2pm CAT.

Calvin Kaumba Chikenge December 1, 2023

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Calvin Kaumba Chikenge is an award-winning Zambian multimedia sports journalist well known for his exclusive stories and feature writing. He was voted 2023/24 MTN/FAZ Super League journalist of the year. In addition to reporting on sports for Spring TV, he interned for the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper. He is the current Ballon d'Or juror and has contributed to numerous international publications, including the Guardian in the UK, and is the editor of BolaNews.