France came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the semi-final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia on Tuesday.
Mali dominated proceedings in the first 45 minutes and took the lead in the stoppage-time of the first half through captain Ibrahim Diarra’s goal.
The effort ended France’s record of not conceding a goal in their previous five matches in the competition.
Upon resumption from break, France pushed for an equaliser and their drive for the crucial goal was boosted by the expulsion of Souleyman Sanogo for a harsh tackle after a brief VAR review.
France immediately took advantage of the free-kick as Yvann Titi converted Ismail Bouneb’s cross to the back of the net in the 56th minute.
Moments later, Bouneb turned the game around for Jean Vannuchi’s team with his strike in the 69th minute that turned out to be the match-winning goal.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mali showed more attacking flair in their play but could not make their chances count before the game ended.
The Eagles are the only African team left in the competition after beating Morocco in the quarter-final and they will face Argentina in the third-place game on Friday, December 1 while it is an all-European final in Indonesia with France set to face Germany on Saturday.
