Benfica-filled Portugal lose to Japan at U17 World Cup, miss target | OneFootball

The Portugal under-17 team was defeated by their Japanese counterparts (2-1), this Sunday, November 9th. The two national teams faced off in another match of the under-17 World Cup, in the final game of Group B, which decided the first place in the initial phase of the tournament.

First, let's highlight the significant presence of Benfica in the lineup chosen by coach Bino Maçães. In the starting eleven, seven players from Benfica took the field. During the match, two more players from the Club da Luz were brought in, making a total of nine players with ties to the Eagles who participated in the Portugal - Japan match in the under-17 World Cup.

After clearly defeating the teams of New Caledonia and Morocco, Portugal faced Japan, who also had two wins in two matches. The Portuguese and the Japanese were fighting for the first place in Group B of the under-17 World Cup, but the truth is that the game did not start well for the Portuguese, who conceded twice in the first half, trailing 2-0 at halftime.

The second half saw a reaction from the Portugal team. Japan had a player sent off at the 71st minute, and the Portuguese team managed to reduce the deficit at the 80th minute - Bino Maçães' squad never gave up on seeking the equalizer, but the Japanese closed off the paths to the goal, and the match ended with a 2-1 scoreline.

This result leaves Portugal in second place in Group B of the under-17 World Cup, missing the goal of first place but securing qualification for the next phase of the World Championship. The opponent for the next round is not yet known, as they need to wait for the end of the group stage to determine the matchups for the following phase.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.