Mali won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in a row this year after 2015. They had a very successful pre-tournament campaign, winning all their warm-up matches in the UAE last month against the hosts, Ghana and the USA. Such has been the hype surrounding Mali, runners up in last year's edition as The Eagles lock horns with Paraguay in the a Group 'B' match at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul today.

Mali coach Jonas Komla during a pre-match conference yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera year after 2015