Cali, Colombia, Aug 6: Cedric Bakambu and Alexandre Lacazette scored second-half goals as France defeated ten-man Mali 2-0 to advance to the second round of the Under-20 World Cup on Friday.
Bakambu found the net with a right-footed shot into the far corner in the 70th minute -- a minute after Mali had a man sent off -- and Lacazette sealed the victory with a hard angled shot from the right in the 77th.
The win gave France six points from three matches, taking second place in Group A.
Host Colombia defeated South Korea 1-0 to win the group with nine points. South Korea reached the next round as one of the four-best third-place teams in the six groups. Mali was eliminated with three losses and no goals scored.
Luis Muriel scored in the 37th minute for Colombia, which finished in first place in Group A with nine points. France advances by finishing second in the group with six points following a 2-0 victory over Mali on Friday.
South Korea finished with three points and advances to the knock-out stage as one of the best third-place teams.
Colombia will be among the favorites with Spain, Brazil, Nigeria and Argentina when the round-of-16 opens on Tuesday. AP
