France down Mali, reach final

France qualified for the Under-17 World Cup final in Indonesia yesterday after a 2-1 win against a spirited Mali side. 

They will try to claim a second championship after their only win in 2001 when they face Germany in the tournament decider on Saturday in the Javan city of Surakarta. 

Germany downed Argentina in the other semi-final 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw. 

But France had to come back from a goal down after Mali took the lead in first-half injury time through captain Ibrahim Diarra. 

It was the first goal conceded in the tournament by the young players of coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi. They drew level in the 56th minute through a header from Troyes’ Yvann Titi, before he was withdrawn minutes later through injury. — SuperSport.