PH
The FIFA Under 17 World Cup began on Friday in Indonesia. Africa is represented by four teams in the competition, which concludes on December 2nd.
Senegal, the reigning African champions, qualified for the knockout stage on Tuesday.
Senegal defeated Poland 4-1 at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, West Java, thanks to a hat-trick from Idrissa Gueye.
It’s a great start for the Senegalese, who defeated Argentina 2-1 in their first match on November 11.
“We just follow the coach’s instructions and repeat exactly what we’re told. We’re sticking to those instructions, and we want to take each match one game at a time. We want to remain humble, while respecting our identity as African champions. We’re here to defend Senegal, but also African football,” Idrissa Gueye was quoted saying on FIFA website.
The player scored 3 goals.
Senegal is in group D with Argentina, Japan and Poland.
On November 16, Mali will play Canada. The team is second in Group B, which also includes Canada, Spain, and Uzbekistan.
On November 10, Mali defeated Uzbekistan. The team needs another win to guarantee their place in the following round.
Burkina Faso will face the United States on November 15.
The stallions are in a difficult situation. They were defeated 2-0 by France in their opening match of the campaign on November 12 and currently sit at the bottom of Group E. The group is led by France, which is followed by the United States of America and South Korea.
On November 10, Morocco got off to a terrific start. The team defeated Panama 2-0. They are, nevertheless, second in the standings behind Ecuador following a 2-0 loss to the South American nation on November 13. Morocco will want to defeat Indonesia in their next match, set for November 16.
The event marks a watershed moment for the hosts on the field. Indonesia has not competed in a World Cup since 1938, when it was known as the Dutch East Indies.
Champions from the previous season Brazil won the most recent U-17 World Championships, which were held in France in 2019.
