The Sunday Mail
Morocco coach Houcine Ammouta has declared war on Mali, who they face in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) final at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium today.
The stage is set for a potential humdinger where Ammouta is aiming to help the Atlas Lions become the first nation to successfully defend their CHAN title.
The North Africans beat hosts Cameroon 4-0 in the semi-final on Wednesday to gain another clear shot at the CHAN gong, while Mali won 5-4 on penalties against Guinea. With the tone set by Ammouta, stakes will be high in this final pitting two sides who had contrasting fortunes in the preliminary stages.
“There is no team that has retained the CHAN title.
“We want to become the first team to achieve this and we remain positive taking one step at a time. We are very motivated to achieve this objective that we set before coming for the competition,” said.
However, he is expecting a tough contest against a Malian side who boast of an impressive defensive record.
“More than half of the players that won the 2018 CHAN title are not with us and many with the team now don’t have the experience. We know what strategies to use when facing Mali and we expect a very tough match,” he added
Undoubtedly, Morocco were simply too good since the group stages, where they managed to score 13 goals, which makes them the highest-scoring team in this tournament.
Mali, on the other hand, managed to grind results, scoring three goals until reaching this stage.
They conceded only one goal in open play.
The Eagles will be hunting for their first CHAN title, having reached the final of the 2016 edition.
However, in this one, they face a free-scoring Moroccan outfit determined to set a new record in the history of this tournament.
Morocco are the natural favourites to win this one, judging from their consistent record since the tournament started. — CAFOnline.
