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Monrovia — Liberia U-17 Deputy Coach Theophilus Geekor believes the team can make an impact at the 2026 WAFU Zone A U-17 tournament after an encouraging 1-1 draw with Mali on Tuesday in Dakar. The match marked Geekor's first game in charge of Liberia's U-17 national team as Boss Marcus Polo Laquie, Head of the Liberia U-17 Program, took over. After a goalless first half, Liberia took the lead in the 55th minute when Prince Smith converted a free kick. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Mali responded late in the second half to secure a share of the points. Speaking to Liberian journalist Fatumata Barry, who is based in Senegal, Geekor praised the players for following the game plan and showing resilience against one of the tournament's more experienced teams. "We've got to give credit to the players because they played according to our plan. We said to them, if we can't win this game, we shouldn't lose the game," Geekor said. "When we scored, Mali stretched us to the limit. We had to play cautiously. We didn't want to concede easily, and equally, we had to protect our goal. So, we were playing a two-phase game," he added. Geekor acknowledged that Liberia entered the tournament as an underdog but said his players adopted a different mentality ahead of the competition. "We knew the odds were probably against us. Mali has been there before, and everything would favor them. But then again, we kept saying to the boys, we have to develop a new mentality, a new attitude," Geekor said. "I think that new attitude made us fight a little bit harder and made us believe in ourselves." Geekor enjoyed a breakthrough 2025-26 season, guiding Watanga to the Liberia Football Association First Division championship and the Bettomax Champions Cup final in his first season in charge. His success with Watanga has established him as one of the leading coaches on Liberia's domestic football scene.