Tottenham Hotspur star Yves Bissouma starred for Mali in the 6-0 demolition of Eswatini
Tottenham Hotspur star Yves Bissouma delivered a strong performance as Mali cruised past Eswatini 6-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification fixture.
The victory helped Mali top their Africa Cup of Nations group with 14 points from six games. Tom Saintfiet’s side dominated possession with 66% as Yves Bissouma played in the double pivot alongside Aliou Dieng. The 28-year-old has played dominantly as an advanced midfielder for his national team in previous games but this time he operated from a deeper role.
Against Eswatini, Bissouma’s contribution was crucial, making 58 touches on the ball and completing 47 out of 51 passes with a healthy accuracy of 92%. The Tottenham star’s calmness in possession and ability to create opportunities reflected his growing influence on the international stage.
He bagged an assist for Nene Dorgeles’ first goal (Mali’s second on the night), created one big chance and made two key passes. The 28-year-old was equally strong in his duels, winning two and was fouled twice. The central midfielder completed one accurate long ball out of three, which is something he needs to work on. (Stats courtesy: SofaScore)
Overall, it was another eye-catching outing in Mali colours for Bissouma, who was taken off at half-time after manager Tom Saintfiet felt the game was done and dusted with his side leading 4-0 at the Stade du 26 Mars. And that was exactly the case with Les Aigles scoring two goals more in the second half to complete Eswatini’s rout.
Given that the players will head back to their respective clubs and gear themselves up for the forthcoming gruelling fixtures schedule, it was a wise decision from Saintfiet to take off Bissouma at the interval. Now that the FA has slapped Rodrigo Bentancur with a seven-game domestic ban for his off-field actions, Ange Postecoglou has become more reliant than ever on the Malian ace.
One would expect Bissouma to take Bentancur’s No.6 role in the forthcoming games, although Postecoglou also has the option of trusting Archie Gray and handing him opportunities in his preferred holding role.
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But going by the age and experience factor, Bissouma appears to be likely to anchor Tottenham’s midfield starting from the big game at the weekend away at Manchester City. Let’s hope the African star stays fit and produces consistent performances for Big Ange’s side.
