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Defending champions
Nigeria and impressive outsiders Mali overcame Mexico and Belgium respectively
in semi-finals of Fifa U-17 World Cup to set up an all - Africa final
on Sunday.
StarTimes will bring
you all the action live as we witness the making of Africa’s next generation of
Superstars. In just their fourth appearance at this level, Les Aiglonnets have
achieved a feat that no other Malian national side at any age category has ever
managed - progressing to the final of a Fifa - run tournament.
They were made to
work hard for their reward, however, as the Belgians went toe-to-toe with them
for large portions of the match. Lady Luck also played her part in the
Africans’ victory, when a seemingly harmless long ball bamboozled the Belgian
goalkeeper and allowed them to take a 2-1 lead.
Nigeria, meanwhile,
booked themselves a place in the final for an astonishing eighth time in eleven
attempts. Like Mali, Emmanuel Amuneke’s men were tested to the limit by an
entertaining Mexico team, and in the process both sides produced what is likely
to be regarded as the game of the tournament to date.
Indeed, the clash had
just about everything, including tit-for-tat scoring, six goals, three of which
had fans leaping off their seats, and intense emotions until the very last kick
of the ball.
In winning all their
eight matches so far, Nigeria have set a remarkable new record in U-17 World
Cup semi-finals following their victory over El Tri at Chile 2015. In doing so,
they also brought their opponents’ run of three previous semi-final triumphs
(in three attempts) to an abrupt halt.
The last time that
two teams from the same confederation played in the U-17 World Cup final is 22
years ago when, at Japan 1993, the finalists were both from Africa too, and
Nigeria was also involved. For the record, the Golden Eaglets emerged
victorious from their clash with Ghana, claiming the first of their four global
titles at this level.
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