African Nations Cup: Mali must improve to beat Morocco, says Kanouté
Frédéric Kanouté believes Mali will have to move up a gear if they are to beat Morocco in their African Nations Cup semi-final today.
Even though Mali should be fresher than the Moroccans after enjoying an extra day's preparation for the game in Sousse, the Tottenham striker insists his team must give a much better performance.
Mali scraped an unconvincing 2-1 quarter-final win over Guinea on Saturday to earn their place in the last four and Kanouté, who scored his fourth goal of the tournament for their equaliser, knows they have much to prove.
"We didn't play all that well against Guinea," he said yesterday. "We have something we have to make up for. They had more possession and handled the game better at certain times. But we took our chances. There are things we need to improve but the most important thing is just to win."
Mali's coach Henri Stambouli shared the view of the French-born striker who opted for Mali after being capped by France at Under-21 level.
"It's absolutely true," said Stambouli. "We knew it would be a tense match against a dangerous side like Guinea. We couldn't really play our game, reach our usual standard.
Morocco's young team have caught the eye in Tunisia by playing the most fluid football of the tournament so far. But they go into today's game after being stretched to the limit in their quarter-final on Sunday, which they won 3-1 in extra-time against Algeria.
Kanouté was wary about the Moroccans' more arduous route. "The African Nations is tiring, as I'm finding out, and it's true they played a day after us and they had to go through extra-time," he said. "It's a small advantage - but it's also a trap. We mustn't take it easy thinking we will be fresher, because it's the mental side of things that's more important."
Mali, like Nigeria in today's other semi-final, also know that sub-Saharan teams rarely win in North Africa.
The Super Eagles meet Tunisia in the capital. Yet Nigeria, favourites for the trophy after beating Cameroon, will fancy their chances against the hosts.
Nigeria's coach Christian Chukwu said: "I expect the officiating and the opponents to be fair, as the world is watching. But I have great confidence in my team. They are men, not boys."
Nigeria's captain Jay Jay Okocha, scorer of outstanding free-kicks both in England and here, must perform at his creative best.