Under-17 World Cup Excellence: Portugal Triumph As Young Stars Shine | OneFootball

The Under-17 World Cup saw many young players take to the world stage – in this age category – out in Qatar, where many teams shined and many players also excelled to new heights. Whilst many would’ve expected the big nations to make it furthest, it was a tournament full of ups and downs, peaks and troughs, as well as dull and quite simply breathtaking moments.

From Uganda’s historic run to World Cup glory for Portugal and Austria, this is the story of how the Under-17 World Cup unfolded across November in Doha.

Matchday 1 – the Opening Group Stage games

Argentina 3-2 Belgium

It didn’t take long for a big heavyweight clash to take place as Argentina met Belgium in the headline game of the opening matchday of the tournament. Belgium, with exciting talents on display such as Jesse Bissiwu, Noah Fernandez and Lucca Brughmans, among others, had a lot of expectation on their shoulders. But despite that, it was Argentina who ended up having the last laugh.

Argentina were the side that showed more grit, more aggression, more intensity and possessed a greater physical advantage over their European opponents. They had the better and more positive start, which eventually was rewarded after 36 minutes, with Ramiro Tulian breaking the deadlock.

Just before the opener, after a tricky 20 minutes, Belgium were able to settle and get onto the ball, which resulted in them creating a few chances and having a few positive moments themselves. They had plenty of joy when attacks were started by Jesse Bissiwu, who showed good explosive speed and technical quality, despite the final-third decision-making not quite being at the level Belgium needed.

The way the 17-year-old moves and takes on defenders could be likened to Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku. Short but very sharp explosive bursts. But despite that, Belgium went behind.

Despite being a goal down after 36 minutes, though, Belgium didn’t take long to respond, as they used the momentum they built just before the goal to get themselves back on level terms before the break. It was a fantastic finish from De Kimpe at the back post, and it was one that left De Roa with no chance.

Argentina got the 2nd half underway, and Belgium continued to push and used the momentum they built throughout that first half. 14 minutes into the 2nd half, they found their second goal thanks to Stan Naert, which meant with half an hour plus added time left, Belgium were in front. But Argentina found a way to push Belgium back, putting them under pressure with that physicality and some fantastic crosses which Belgium didn’t deal with, which saw Argentina get level in the 69th minute thanks to Jainioski. Then, a few minutes later, winger Felipe Esquivel found their third goal to retake the lead, and Argentina went on to win the opening game 3-2.

England 0-3 Venezuela

A lot of people expected England to do very well at the Under 17 World Cup, considering all the talent they had across their squad. But the opening matchday couldn’t have gone any worse for Neil Ryan’s Young Lions, as they were well beaten against Venezuela in Doha.

England unsurprisingly had the possession, the control and created quite a few good chances. But for whatever reason, things didn’t click for them in the final third when really they could’ve easily have won the game by a few goals themselves. Venezuela, on the other hand, weren’t dominant, but they were extremely effective, and that was shown especially towards the 2nd half and the end of the game.

Roman Davis, Dioner Fuentes and Eider Barrios were the players who scored the three goals for Venezuela, and it was a game that couldn’t have gone any better for them. England had to reset after already beginning on the back foot.

Other Matchday 1 results (selected):

Matchday Two

This was the matchday where things started to take shape, in terms of who had the best chance of reaching the knockout stages and which sides, sadly, were on the brink of being eliminated.

The three big nations, England, Belgium and Portugal, all won big in their respective Group Stage games. England defeated Haiti 8-1, which meant they put the disappointing defeat against Venezuela on matchday 1 behind them. Reigan Heskey, Luca Williams-Barnett (x2), Reggie Walsh, Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez and Chizaram Ezenwata (x3) all scored for the Young Lions.

Meanwhile, for Belgium, they also bounced back from defeat on matchday 1 to thrash Fiji 7-0. Noah Fernandez, Pablo Capilla Rivera, Rene Mitongo Muteba (x3), Loic Alvarez Fernandez and Stan Naert all scored. However, August De Wannemacker got sent off after 58 minutes, which meant he’d miss matchday 3 for the Belgians. In terms of the game itself, it didn’t really impact things much, with Belgium already 5-0 up before going on to score two late goals to win 7-0. Teimana Goundar was sent off for Fiji after 69 minutes.

Portugal maintained their perfect start, defeating Morocco 6-0 to follow up from their 6-1 win over New Caledonia in matchday 1. Joao Aragao, Anisio Cabral, Mateus Mide (x2) and Jose Neto (x2) got the goals, and it was almost certain that Portugal would compete in the knockout stages of the Under 17 World Cup.

Other Matchday Two results (selected):

Matchday Three

Matchday three, for many sides, was the one to decide their fate. They either make it through by finishing in one of the top two spots in their respective groups, scrape through as one of the best 3rd-place teams, or fall flat and get sent home.

Belgium were able to beat the ten men of Tunisia, which helped them secure 2nd in Group D. Noah Fernandez scored inside the opening minute to get the young Belgians off to the perfect start. Saifedin Haj Abdallah was then sent off after 18 minutes, which put Tunisia on the back foot. Unsurprisingly, Belgium had total control of the game, but it took them until the 56th minute to make it 2-0, scored by Ali Camara.

Argentina went on to finish top of Group D, thrashing Fiji 7-0. Uriel Ojeda (x3), Mateo Martinez (x2), Santiago Silveira and Simon Escobar got the goals to round off a perfect group stage for the South American giants. Argentina were totally dominant, having 80% of the possession on top of the seven goals they were able to score.

Morocco picked up a historic victory, demolishing New Caledonia 16-0 – the biggest win in Under 17 World Cup history! That was only enough to finish 3rd in Group B, but, considering how big the win was scoreline-wise, they were able to progress to the knockout stages as one of the best 3rd-place teams. Bilal Soukrat and Qualid Ibn Salah (x2) scored to make it 3-0 just after 18 minutes. Just a few minutes later, New Caledonia were down to ten men after Typhan Dreuko got sent off, and if that wasn’t enough, Jean Canehmez was also sent off a few minutes later, which meant New Caledonia were down to NINE MEN!

Ten minutes after being sent down to nine men, New Caledonia had a disastrous few minutes just before half-time. Abdelali Eddaoudi (x2), Illyas Hidaoui and Ziyad Baha all scored, and at half time, the score was 7-0! And after the break, it just got worse for New Caledonia.

Zakari El Khalfioui scored in the 48th minute to make it 8-0 before Ziyad Baha got his second of the game in the 50th minute to make it 9-0. Nahel Haddani then joined in with the goalscoring, netting two quick goals in the 56th and 60th minute respectively. That was 11-0 after just an hour, but it got even worse as New Caledonia’s Steevy Andrew scored an own goal in the 76th minute – a few minutes after Abdellah Ouazane scored in the 73rd minute.

Ismail El Aoud got himself a brace, scoring in the 80th and 90th minute. Then, to round the match off to make it 16-0, Abdellah Ouazane got his second goal of the match in the 92nd minute, and that saw Morocco pick up a historically large victory against a side who just weren’t at the level of their opponents throughout the Under 17 World Cup.

Other Matchday 3 results (selected):

• Japan 2-1 Portugal – the former went down to ten men, but the win helped them finish ahead of Portugal in Group B.

• Senegal 5-0 UAE – a comfortable win for the African side which saw them top Group C. They finished ahead of Croatia.

• Italy 3-1 South Africa – both sides made it through to the knockouts as the top two sides in Group A.

• England 3-0 Egypt – the Young Lions finished 2nd behind Venezuela in Group E after defeating the Egyptians. Reigan Heskey was a standout by scoring two goals, but he missed a penalty to make it a hat-trick.

• Switzerland 3-1 Mexico – this helped Switzerland finish top of Group F.

• South Korea 3-1 Ivory Coast – South Korea were the runners-up in Group F.

• El Salvador 0-7 Germany – this result helped Germany finish ahead of Colombia as the Germans topped Group G.

• Colombia 2-0 North Korea – Colombia were runners-up in Group G. Despite losing, North Korea also progressed as one of the best 3rd-place teams.

• Brazil 1-1 Zambia – both sides made it through from Group H, with both picking up seven points.

• Czechia 0-1 USA – a single goal from Mathis Albert in the 78th minute was enough to help USA progress top of Group I and the USA also won all their Group games.

• Ireland 0-0 Paraguay – Ireland made it through from Group J, and Paraguay also progressed as one of the best 3rd-place teams.

• Uzbekistan 6-1 Panama – Uzbekistan rounded off a strong Group Stage by thumping Panama but only finished 2nd behind Ireland in Group J.

• Uganda 1-0 France – this result was historic for Uganda as it was their FIRST EVER major tournament win at any age group and also helped them progress out of Group K in 3rd place with four points.

• Chile 2-1 Canada – despite the defeat, Canada made it through as runners-up to France in Group K.

Austria and Mali also progressed to the knockout stages, finishing first and second, respectively, in Group L.

Round of 32

This was the first knockout stage round, where the sides who made it had the aim of reaching the final. There was some intriguing match ups, an upset or two as well!

One of the standout ties of the round was Portugal against Belgium. With it being the men’s international break, Ajax talent Jorthy Mokio and Anderlecht’s prospect Nathan De Cat joined the Belgium u17 team in Qatar to help their side make it as far as possible in the Under 17 World Cup.

Someone who made their impact straight away was Nathan De Cat. His positional understanding, the passing range, the maturity and the stature he already has as a 17 year old was quite simply outstanding. It was almost like watching Luka Modric. De Cat showed outstanding maturity way beyond his years. Nathan De Cat also showcased great running power across the midfield, which showcased how hard he wants to work for his team.

Now onto the general team performances, Belgium had a lot of possession and created some chances throughout. But they lacked the clinical and end product, something Portugal did have. Not only did Portugal take their chances, which saw them defeat Belgium 2-1, they were also a constant threat down both flanks. Belgium really struggled to defend the wide areas where Portugal enjoyed quite a lot of success. The goals from Anisio Cabral was enough in the end for Portugal, despite Noah Fernandez getting one back for Belgium.

Ireland defeated Canada 9-8 on penalties, which followed a quite even game across 90 minutes where it finished 1-1. Ireland seemed like they had more physically about them whilst Canada showed good technical ability to handle that pressure.

In terms of who stood out, particularly for Ireland, the Noonan brothers stood out brightest. Michael Noonan led the line with great energy, intensity, physical aggression. He also scored during the match to give Ireland the lead after 65 minutes and he also gave the Canadian defenders a really tough game across the 90 minutes with that aggression, intensity and tenacity.

Alex Noonan was also fantastic in the Ireland goal making two absolutely fantastic saves in the match to deny Canada the opportunity to potentially win the match in 90 minutes. He also made two massive saves in the penalty shootout which ultimately helped Ireland through. As a goalkeeper too, he gave his defenders that calm and trusting feeling as he was able to command his area superbly too.

Other Round Of 32 Results:

• France defeated Colombia 2-0, goals coming from Antoine Valero and Christ Batola. Santiago Londoño was sent off for Colombia in the 97th minute.

• Morocco defeated the USA 4-3 on penalties. Jude Terry gave the Americans the lead after 21 minutes before Abdellah Ouazane got a 90th minute equaliser.

• Mali defeated Zambia 3-1, Ndjicoura Bomba gave Mali the lead after 51 minutes before Mapalo Simute equalised 12 minutes later. Mali went on to wrap the game up late on with Seydou Dembele scoring in the 85th minute to put Mali 2-1 up then Lamine Keita in the 92nd minute made it 3-1.

• Switzerland 3-1 Egypt.

• Mexico 2-2 Argentina, Mexico won 5-4 on penalties.

• Brazil 0-0 Paraguay, Brazil went on to win 5-4 on penalties. Vitor Hugo got sent off after 10 minutes for Brazil during the match.

• Uganda 1-0 Senegal

• South Korea 0-2 England, Reigan Heskey scored the 2nd as he shined once again.

• Italy 2-0 Czechia

• Japan 3-0 South Africa

• Germany 0-1 Burkina Faso, one of the big upsets of the tournament.

• North Korea 2-1 Venezuela

• Austria 2-0 Tunisia, Johannes Moser one of the scorers as well as an own goal.

• Croatia 1-1 Uzbekistan, the latter went on to win 4-3 on penalties.

Round Of 16

This was when the knockout stages started to pick up some heat; the finish line was in the distance, but for many teams there were still obstacles that needed to be passed.

Austria beat England 4-0! This was one of the biggest shocks of the tournament, which arguably is up there with Uganda’s group stage win over France as well as Burkina Faso beating Germany. If anything, the manner in which Austria took England apart opened many eyes across many teams still within a chance of winning the Under 17 World Cup.

England really struggled to cope with Austria’s direct play, high intensity, and set-piece threat, as well as their all-round physicality throughout the entire game. Austria looked far stronger, and what made it worse for England was the fact that Alejandro Rodriguez was sent off after 50 minutes, just a few minutes after Austria took the lead through Hasan Deshishku.

Johannes Moser went on to score a penalty in the 70th minute before scoring again in the 79th minute. 6’6″ defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe went on to make it 4-0, scoring from a set piece in the 86th minute.

Highlights from Austria vs England

Portugal also enjoyed a massive win in their Round of 16 tie, defeating Mexico 5-0. Rafael Quintas scored in the 15th minute from the penalty spot to give Portugal the lead before Jose Navarro was sent off for Mexico in the 36th minute. It was only 1-0 going into halftime, but with Portugal having the man advantage, that’s when the Mexican floodgates opened during the 2nd half.

Anisio Cabral scored in yet another game for Portugal, which saw his side lead 2-0 three minutes into the 2nd half. But to be fair to Mexico, they were able to keep Portugal out for a large part of the 2nd half, up until the final ten minutes. In the 81st minute, Portugal finally found their third goal thanks to Zeega, and that began a seven-minute spell of action.

Portugal quickly found their fourth and fifth goals in the 83rd and 85th minutes, respectively, thanks to Miguel Figueiredo and Yoan Pereira. Then in the 88th minute, Mexico were sent down to nine men after Santiago Lopez saw red. But after that there were no more goals, and Portugal comfortably reached the quarter-final of the Under-17 World Cup.

Other Round Of 16 Results:

Italy 3-2 Uzbekistan. Empoli’s young striker, Thomas Campaniello, got two goals for Italy in the 19th and 68th minute. Uzbekistan equalised through Amirkhon Muradov in the 56th minute to make it 1-1. But after Campaniello’s 2nd goal, Dauda Iddrisa made it 3-1 in the 70th minute. Asilbek Aliev was then sent off in the 89th minute for Uzbekistan before Azizbek Erimbetov made it 3-2 in the 95th minute, which, unfortunately for Uzbekistan, proved too little too late.

Brazil 1-1 France. The French took the lead through Remi Himbert in the 33rd minute, but after that goal, Brazil were the better side by having the control and sustained pressure on the France defence. They eventually found the equaliser through Pietro in the 89th minute. Brazil went on to win 4-3 on penalties.

Switzerland 3-1 Ireland. Switzerland had a comfortable game over the Irish; Adrien Llukes scored in the 57th minute before his teammate Sandro Wyss made it 2-0 after 69 minutes. Ireland got one back in the 82nd minute through Vinnie Leonard, but a few minutes later, Switzerland found the third to make it 3-1 thanks to Mladen Mijaljovic.

Japan 1-1 North Korea. Japan took an early lead after four minutes thanks to Jelani McGhee. But for a large part of the game it was North Korea asking the questions, and they eventually found the equaliser through Hyok-gwang Ri in the 67th minute. Despite being the better side, though, North Korea went on to lose to Japan 5-4 on penalties.

Morocco 3-2 Mali. Now this was a thrilling game where Morocco took the lead after 29 minutes through Ziyad Baha. There must’ve been a lengthy stoppage in the first half because there was a lot of stoppage time at the end of the half. Mali equalised in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time thanks to a penalty from Ndjicoura Bomba before Morocco retook the lead in the eleventh minute of stoppage time thanks to Ismail El Aoud. Morocco found their third in the 2nd half, Ismail El Aoud again in the 66th minute.

Tiemoko Berthe made it 3-2 in the 94th minute, but unfortunately for Mali, that was too little too late, and they were knocked out of the Under 17 World Cup.

Quarter Final

Things really stepped up at this stage; the heat got hotter, and only the toughest would survive.

Austria were able to defeat Japan by a single goal, 1-0, thanks to Johannes Moser, who found the back of the net after 49 minutes, four minutes into the 2nd half. Even though Austria won, Japan were the better side throughout the game. They showed more energy and more intensity and created a lot of chances. But the thing Japan didn’t do, which Austria did do, was take a chance.

It was a historic moment for Austria as they reached the semi-final, the first time any Austrian side at any age category made it that far in any major tournament.

Burkina Faso’s journey at the Under 17 World Cup also came to an end as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Italy. The African side were able to keep Italy out for quite a while, but eventually they found a way through thanks to Thomas Campaniello in the 83rd minute.

Portugal arguably had the most comfortable quarter-final match, defeating Switzerland 2-0. The goals came from Mateus Mide in the 41st minute and Jose Neto in the 53rd minute. Despite having nine shots, Switzerland were only able to get three of those on target, and consequently, they were unable to score, which saw them eliminated from the Under 17 World Cup.

Brazil were made to work in their quarter-final match against Morocco but eventually found a way through late. To begin with, the Brazilians got off to the perfect start thanks to Dell giving them the lead after 16 minutes. But just before half-time, Morocco were able to respond via the penalty spot with Ziyad Baha converting from 12 yards. The 2nd half was a tough battle with neither finding a way past the other, and just when it seemed it would go to penalties, Dell found a way for Brazil to win it in the 95th minute.

Semi-final And Bronze Medal

It was all down to the final four: Austria vs Italy and Portugal vs Brazil. Only two sides would make it, but who made it to the final and how?

Austria 2-0 Italy. History was made for the Austrians reaching their first major international final at any age category. This was a really competitive contest between them and the Italians, where two Johannes Moser goals separated the sides on the day. Italy had most of the possession and really dictated how the rhythm and tempo of the game went. Since Austria didn’t have much possession, carrying a threat on the counterattack as well as being defensively disinclined was key, and the Austrians did this superbly.

Italy had 12 attempts, but only one was on target. Whilst this shows Italy were poor in the final third in regard to shooting accuracy, the fact only one attempt was on target showed how well disciplined and organised Austria were as a defensive unit. Then on the other side of things, particularly through Johannes Moser, Austria carried a lot of threat through great technical trickery and lightning speed, and it was his two goals which proved the difference in the 57th and 93rd minute.

Portugal also reached the final, but they had a much tougher task in facing Brazil. There weren’t any goals in this semi-final, with the game ending 0-0 after 90 minutes. Portugal went on to win the penalty shootout 6-5 to book their spot in the final against Austria!

With Italy and Brazil losing their respective semi-final matches, they met in the bronze medal match. This game also ended goalless, but for Brazil, they had to get through nearly 80 minutes with ten men because Vitao got himself sent off in the thirteenth minute. With the man advantage, Italy dominated the possession and also had a fair few chances too, but they weren’t able to find a way in the 90 minutes.

It went to penalties, and despite getting close to winning bronze with the disadvantage, Brazil were eventually beaten by Italy as the Italians beat them 4-2 in the shootout.

The final

It was finally time; after a month full of twists and turns, upsets and grinding results, it was a final not many would’ve predicted prior to the tournament kicking off in Qatar. Portugal met Austria with the Under-17 World Cup trophy up for grabs!

Portugal got off to the better start, having the greater intensity, and with the ball they showed the better composure too. With that composure and with that control, they were able to pick Austria apart in these pockets on the left and right-hand sides. Particularly down the left, Jose Neto was pushing high up the Portuguese left flank whilst Stevan Manuel would come into this inside pocket, and that left Austria with a little dilemma because they didn’t know which player picked up who.

It was similar down the right-hand side too, and that’s where the goal came from. Lovely ball down the right-hand side; for some reason no Austrian defender picked up Anisio Cabral, and that meant once the cross came in from that Portuguese right-hand side, he had a simple tap-in which put Portugal in front.

Austria were able to find a controlled rhythm to their game in the 2nd half, but they were unable to find a way past Portugal’s strong defensive unit. The intention from Portugal was to protect the lead, and they really did that outstandingly. Johannes Moser could’ve been a big threat, but Portugal were able to keep him really quiet.

The full-time whistle goes, and Portugal win the game 1-0, and of course all of the coaches and players are absolutely delighted, as they are Under-17 World Cup winners!

Who were the standout players in the Under-17 World Cup?

• Reigan Heskey – Despite England being eliminated quite earlier than expected, it was clear that Manchester City’s Reigan Heskey was their best player. Even when England as a team didn’t create much, his speed and his technical quality with the ball caused any team and defender an issue.

• Ruan Pablo – On the right-hand side for Brazil, he was quite a handful for a fair few teams during the Under 17 World Cup. Not only does he have a rocket of a shot when he gets within shooting range, his short bursts of explosive speed are really impressive. One minute you could have him, then you’d blink and he’d be gone so quickly like that.

• Cristian Florez – Another trickery right winger who lit up the tournament in some ways with speed, skill and excitement. Cristian Florez was one of the standouts in the tournament and arguably one of the best players for Colombia during the Under 17 World Cup. A bit like Ruan Pablo, his technical skill is quite simply outstanding for a 17-year-old, and he also carries brilliant speed down the right flank when dribbling with the ball. He’s very much capable of being a top winger in a few years.

• Alex Noonan – Understandably, his brother Michael will take the headlines and attract the greater attention since he’s already playing senior football for Shamrock Rovers. But specifically in the Under 17 World Cup, Alex Noonan was somebody who stood out in goal. He made some outstanding saves; he was the penalty shootout hero against Canada too. But more importantly, he brought a calming and well-controlled presence for his defenders by commanding his area superbly. He’s got the base to become a fantastic goalkeeper in the future.

• Stevan Manuel – Maybe for Portugal, he wasn’t exactly the main standout, and he certainly wouldn’t be someone that instantly springs to mind in terms of the talent across the entire Under 17 World Cup tournament. But just zooming into him as a profile, his physical stature and the way he moves is something that instantly reminds you of Rafael Leão. He has a tall but lean presence and carries great speed on the half turn in transition, and he is also capable of hurting a defence quite simply on his own. One to watch in the near future.

• Johannes Moser – One of the standout wingers at the tournament, he really came to life the deeper Austria made it into the Under 17 World Cup. He isn’t the explosive type of winger, like Ruan Pablo or Cristian Florez, for example, but what Johannes Moser brings that maybe the other two don’t quite yet at 17 years old is the intelligence in decision-making in the final third as well as the consistent quality. Moser knew when to pass, when to drive and when to shoot, and when he did shoot, he was absolutely clinical.

• Nathan De Cat – A little bit more obvious than the other names, and he also only made one appearance in the tournament. But the composure, the intelligence in his movements, the willingness to work across the entire pitch, the passing range. Everything about his game just in that one match against Portugal exceeded what the other midfielders who played more did at the tournament. He will become the next midfield star for Belgium.

• Kaden Braithwaite – In the first game of the tournament, he played at left back. But for him and for England, that match against Venezuela was just a total disaster. For England’s remaining games at the Under 17 World Cup, Neil Ryan moved Braithwaite to centre back, and he truly took that tweak into his stride superbly. Very secure on the ball, he has fantastic ball-carrying capabilities, and since he is 6’4″, he was a huge aerial presence for England when defending and attacking set pieces. Like Reigan Heskey, he is with Manchester City’s academy, and he’s another top player Manchester City have on their books.

CONCLUSION

Portugal are the side who tasted the ultimate glory by winning the Under 17 World Cup, defeating the tournament’s dark horse, Austria, in the final.

But despite Austria falling at the final hurdle and a fair few sides not making it as far as they would’ve liked, for the future of football, the Under 17 World Cup was a huge victory.