Malians rally behind national football team despite loss

Malians remained solidly behind the national team despite their 0-1 loss to Cote d'Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations semifinal on Thursday.

Although the Eagles, as the Malians are known, lost to the Ivorian Elephants, fans back home said they were proud of the former's performance in the tournament co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Streets of Malian capital Bamako had remained quiet and empty as the match went on, as people were glued to their television screens to catch the live action.

The general feeling now seems to be that Mali had a team that could be trusted to do the nation proud.

Previously, many soccer followers in the West African state did not seem to trust coach Alain Giresse and his team.

Some doubted that the Eagles could fly past the first round, let alone advance to the semifinals.

At the end of it all, it has been all praise for the performance of Barcelona star Seydou Kéïta and captain Cédric Kanté and the others members of the team.

A local daily paper L’essor; described the Mali versus Côte d’Ivoire match as a David and Goliath clash.

The Malians have a history of losing to the Ivorians.