Mali will need to be at their best when they take on Japan in a Group D clash at the Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday, July 27 to keep their 2024 Olympic dreams alive.
The Eagles are making only their second appearance at the Games after finishing third at the 2023 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Alou Badra Diallos side kicked off their Paris 2024 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Israel at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, July 24, with Cheickna Doumbias 63rd-minute equaliser having cancelled out Hamidou Diallos own-goal on 56 minutes to earn the West Africans a precious point.
Japan have qualified for the Olympic Games more than any other team from the Oceania region (12) and are looking to claim their first medal since winning bronze in 1968.
Go Oiwas side recorded the biggest victory in the first round of the group stages when they thrashed Paraguay 5-0 in Bordeaux on Wednesday, July 24.
