Game 1 in the books

Well folks, it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t overwhelming but the Eagles got the job done. Here’s your recap.

This game had a little bit of everything from a power outage just before kick-off, to some pre-game line-up drama, and how about a fresh face in the uniform game.

The fashion file
After seeing virutally identical Puma kits with the only difference being team colour from the likes of Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Ghana, the Mali uniforms brought something new to the game from much talked about manufacturer, Airness. While Laurie is crazy about the new kits, I can take ‘em or leave ‘em but they are growing on me.

A moment of pre-game panic
Before the game even started, the African channel I was streaming mentioned in the pre-match show that Kanoute wasn’t in the starting line-up. Would coach Jean-Francois Jodar even consider not starting the star Sevilla striker? Well, whether he considered it or not, it was apparently a faulty scoop by the TV station and Kanoute was where he should be, in the line-up. Another surprise though was Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko being omitted from the starting 11. Whether he is injured or just continuing his poor form is unclear, we’ll have to wait for the next game to see what happens with him.

Who turned the lights out?
Then there was the unfortunate power outage. With the anthems played and the hand-shakes taking place suddenly the lights went out. Pitch blackness (no pun intended…honestly) ensued until gradually some lights started to go on in other parts of the stadium but the most important lights, those being of the flood variety, stayed off for a good 10-15 minutes. Maybe that’s what caused Mali and Benin to be out of rhythm for the rest of the game…

Ho-hum
The match itself really didn’t carry all that much drama. Benin seemed content to sit back and absorb the pressure and let Mali come at them, almost as if they were playing for a 0-0 draw. That was all fine and good until a penalty was given and Kanoute gave the Eagles the breakthrough they needed.

The Squirrels had moments of decent attacking and threatened the goal a few times but overall, Mali was fairly in control from start to finish. Not the kind of game that would produce a result against Nigeria or Cote d’Ivoire, but good enough for today. If you are itching for some highlights, have at it.

So how does the Mali team look going forward? Well, they weren’t at their best, and didn’t look like a team that can progress from this group, but that being said, they got the result they needed and now can prepare for the 2 giants.

Keep your eyes on…
A couple things to watch for going forward…Aside from the penalty kick, Freddy Kanoute was quiet and looked largely unimpressive…that won’t do against other opponents. Also, Mahamadou Diarra picked up a yellow card for taking a free kick too early. A cheap yellow card that could prove costly if, lets say, he picks up a second aginst Nigeria and is forced to miss what should be a huge game against Cote d’Ivoire. And did Mali look a little sluggish ’cause they were playing down to their opponents? How will they come out against the Super Eagles?

That’s a wrap
It wasn’t pretty but it was necessary. Game one can’t be considered anything less than a success. Barely a success, but a success none the less. Here are a few photo’s I took while i was at the game: (actually I just snaked them from fifa.com but whatever)