The matchups are set! The Little Eagles will kick off its 2013 Bamako program with the Spring tournament.

The first match will kick off today between 2012 Summer League and New Years tournament champions Pagou Foot facing Centre Ibrim Diallo. This will be a fascinating match and a repeat of the 2012 Summer League finals, where Pagou Foot edged out CID by a scoreline of 2-0.

Tomorrow, newcomers FC Gaoussou take on well established Inter Milan, who will be looking to overcome their lackluster Summer League performance last year.

On Wednesday, FC Papou, another new team, will look to start their Little Eagles debut on the right foot against Centre Gata. Centre Gata put up a strong performance during the 2012 Summer League, finishing second in their group and losing to CID by only 1 goal in the semi finals.

We're excited to kick of the year in Bamako! Stay tuned for updates, scores, and media!

Follow all of the action at www.facebook.com/littleeaglesfootball

Dear Little Eagles family,

The two finalists

It all came down to this: the final four teams. After 2 months of playing in the first edition of the Little Eagles Bamako League, our remaining four teams were ready to battle it out for the cup. In our first semi final, Pagou Foot, winners of the New Years tournament, met AC Madou, champions of the Spring cup. During the league, the teams had each won a game, with AC Madou winning by a score of 2-0 in their first meeting, and Pagou Foot taking the return fixture 3-0. In a repeat of the return leg, Pagou Foot again defeated AC Madou by the same 3-0 scoreline.

In the second semi final, undefeated CID took on Centre Gata. In the league, CID and Centre Gata ended in a 0-0 stalemate in the first round. In a victory that ultimately led to winning Group B, CID edged out Gata by one goal in round 2. Semi final 2 was a closely contested match, ending in a 1-0 victory for CID.

The Action

This set the stage for a compelling final between Group A winners Pagou Foot and Group B winners CID. The first half saw both teams feeling out the competition, with neither team able to make a breakthrough. The second half was a different story, and both teams came out of the break with strength and vigor looking for a winner. Ten minutes into the second half, Pagou Foot found their way past the CID goalkeeper and scored the opening goal. In response, CID changed 3 players, changing the complexion of the match. CID began to dominate the possession, but couldn't find the back of the net. In the final minutes, Pagou Foot won a corner kick, which was dispatched into the CID net, sealing the cup. Shortly after, the final whistle blew and Pagou Foot won by a scoreline of 2-0, commencing the celebrations.

Pagou Foot accepting the trophy

This week, the Bamako season wrapped up, setting the stage for a mouthwatering playoff. In Group A, Inter Milan managed to grab their first point in their last game of the season, which saw them face AC Madou. This result opened the door wide open for either team to win the group, and set up a massive final match in Group A between AC Madou and Pagou Foot last weekend. Because of AC Madou's draw with Inter, Pagou Foot knew they would still require a full 3 points from the match in order to take the top spot of the group, while AC Madou only needed a draw. When the teams met in the first round, AC Madou topped Pagou Foot by two goals. In the return fixture, Pagou Foot managed to overturn the last result, this time winning by a scoreline of 3-0, and securing a first place playoff bid.

Pagou Foot vs AC Madou

This was a surprise result, as AC Madou had began the season winning both first round games. They were unable to continue that streak in the second round, dropping two points to Inter Milan and suffering their first defeat at the hands of Pagou Foot in the final match - an untimely result as this meant they would have to settle for second place in Group A.



The final points tally for Group A were as follows:

Pagou Foot - 9 points
AC Madou - 7 points
Inter Milan - 1 point


Group B had a similarly enticing final fixture, with Centre Gata and C.I.D. both looking to claim the top spot. After beating FC Morino with a convincing 3-1 win last week, C.I.D. went into the final second round match with a two point advantage over Centre Gata, meaning they would only need a point from this game. Centre Gata would require a full 3 points in order to take first in the group.

C.I.D. faced Centre Gata in a toughly contested match

Both teams came into the match undefeated. In their first round encounter, neither team was able to find the back of the net, with the game ending 0-0. In a hard fought contest, C.I.D managed to edge out Centre Gata by a single goal, winning 1-0 and claiming first place in Group B.

The final points tally for Group B were as follows:

C.I.D. - 10 points
Centre Gata - 5 points
FC Morino - 1 point

The first round of the playoffs will take place this weekend, with the following fixtures:

On Saturday, C.I.D., who remained undefeated throughout the season, will face AC Madou. On Sunday, Group A winners Pagou Foot take on Centre Gata.

Pagou Foot v Inter Milan

The first match of the second round saw Pagou Foot taking on Inter Milan. In their first meeting, Pagou Foot managed to shut out Inter Milan by a scoreline of 3-0. This time, however, Inter Milan put up quite a fight. In a 9 goal thriller on Saturday, Pagou Foot managed to top Inter Milan 6-3. This win brings Pagou Foot level on points with group leaders AC Madou, who have a game in hand. Furthermore, this loss from Inter  mathematically eliminates them from being able to reach the playoff stage despite their strong efforts this summer.

In our Sunday fixture, both Centre Gata and FC Morino looked to secure their first win of the summer. After drawing both of their two first round matches, including their first encounter with FC Morino, Centre Gata claimed a vital 3 points with a 2-0 defeat over FC Morino. The win took their point total to 5 for the campaign, leapfrogging C.I.D. for the top spot in Group B, and earning the first playoff bid from Group B.

Centre Gata taking on FC Morino

With two matchdays remaining before playoffs, we know 3 of the 4 teams that will be competing for the league cup - Pagou Foot and AC Madou, both title favorites, and newcomers Centre Gata. However, the top spot for each group is still up for grabs.

Jostling for possession

C.I.D. already has one foot in the playoffs, needing only 1 point from their remaining two matches to become the fourth team entering the next stage of the competition. FC Morino can still technically advance, but need to beat undefeated C.I.D. next week by a heavy margin and then get some help from Centre Gata on the final matchday.



Next weekend, FC Morino has one last chance if they hope to qualify for the playoff stage as they face C.I.D., who is eyeing the top place in Group B. Inter Milan, although eliminated from the competition, will face undefeated AC Madou, who will want an advantage over Pagouh Foot going into the last matchday

We have the scores in from the last set of fixtures for the first round!

On Saturday, July 21, AC Madou took on Pagou Foot. Going into the match, both teams were level on 3 points apiece, and they battled for control of the Group going into the return fixtures. These two teams are very familiar with each other, and each had won one of the opening two Little Eagles tournaments. On this encounter, Pagou Foot managed to edge out their rivals by a scoreline of 2-0.

Pagou Foot defeated AC Madou

On Sunday, Round 1 finished off with a match featuring our two new Little Eagles expansion teams. Centre Ibrim Diallo was looking to build on their opening win against FC Morino, while Centre Gata hoped to find their first win of the summer. Almost fittingly, both new teams managed to cancel each other out, and finished with a scoreline of 0-0.

Center Gata taking on C.I.D.

At the end of Round 1, AC Madou is on target for a spot in the playoffs, being the only team to take a maximum 6 points from the first two games. Pagou Foot sits in second place in Group A with 3 points, and Inter Milan will be looking to change their luck around in the second round and find their first points.

Group B is wide open going into the Round 2. C.I.B., with the only victory of the first round in Group B, sits in first with 4 points, followed by Centre Gata, who drew both matches. FC Morino managed to pick up 1 point in the first round, and will be looking to build on that in Round 2.

We've seen some great action in the first round of games, and all the teams are still alive in the hunt for a trip to the playoffs. Round 2 begins on Saturday, July 28, with FC Morino looking to leapfrog Centre Gata in the Group B standings. On Sunday, July 29, Inter Milan will attempt to stage a comeback and pick up their first points of the season against a strong Pagou Foot.

Center Gata Team Talk

C.I.D. Team Talk

Check out the Facebook page for videos and pictures of the action!


-Seydou

AC Madou found a late winner against Pagou Foot

The action continued in the Little Eagles Bamako Summer League this weekend, with AC Madou and Center Ibrim Diallo getting their first matches of the season. In Saturday's Group A fixture, Inter Milan looked to recover from their opening season loss to Pagou Foot against AC Madou, who are fresh off their Easter tournament trophy win. In a hotly contested affair, it looked as if the match was destined to finish deadlocked at 3-3. However, a few minutes from full time, AC Madou found an exciting late winner, giving the team a full 3 points in their first match of the summer.

FC Morino v C.I.D.

In Group B, played on Sunday, July 15th, Center Ibrim Diallo opened their campaign with a Little Eagles program debut against veterans FC Morino. After drawing their first match with Centre Gata, FC Morino were looking to secure their first win of the summer. However, C.I.D. gave an impressively strong performance, putting 4 goals past Morino, who could not find a reply.

After Week 2, Pagou Foot and AC Madou lead Group A with 3 points apiece, and will face off next Saturday for control of the group going into the return fixtures. Inter Milan, who have yet to find points in their tough group, will have their work cut out for them in their second round games. Group B is wide open, with C.I.D. leading with 3 points, and FC Morino and Centre Gata tied with 1 point each. C.I.D. will look to increase that advantage on Sunday, when they face the other new expansion side, Centre Gata.

C.I.D. won their opening match against FC Morino