 Frederic Kanoute made his debut for Mali against Algeria |
Tottenham Hotspur striker Frederic Kanoute has made his official debut for his new country Mali, as they beat Algeria by two goals to nil.Kanoute made an immediate impact on his side as he set up both goals for the Eagles.
Kanoute qualifies for his parents country of Mali under new Fifa rules, despite having played for France at under-21 level.
However Kanoute was not the only person switching allegiances to make his debut in the match, three Algerian players, who also played at French junior level were involved.
Bastia defender Antar Yahia, Abdelnasser Ouaddah from Ajaccio and the Belgian-based Samir Beloufa all featured for the Desert Foxes.
Mali took an early lead when Traore Dramane, who plays for Ismaili in Egypt, scored after just three minutes.
Greek-based midfielder Bassala Toure grabbed the second for the Eagles twelve minutes into the second half.
Mali play in Group B at the Nations Cup finals along with Burkina Faso, Kenya and Senegal, while Algeria are in Group C and will face Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Egypt.
MMIX
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