Armada braces for rough English waters
Skilled Spain unfazed by versatile England as teenagers seek to make it a night to remember in final
KOLKATA: Only Ronaldinho has won the under-17 and the men’s World Cups. He is the common element in the dozen who have won the men’s World Cup and played in this competition. Since 1985, only 210 players have played both this and the men’s World Cup finals. Scan the list of highest scorers in the competition and barring Cesc Fabregas and Carlos Vela, rest couldn’t come close to reproducing the magic they showed as teens.
Be it in shifting from defence to attack or making the journey from boys to men, transition is indeed a key element. Such attrition levels will mean that Saturday could be the biggest night in the lives of most who walk out for England and Spain in the final of the 17th under-17 World Cup.
Both countries have won the men’s World Cup but not this, so the Salt Lake stadium is assured of a new champion. “We want to do what no one has done before,” said Spain’s soft-spoken coach Santiago Denia.
The first all-European final in the under-17 World Cup means the teams meet again after May 19 when they disputed for supremacy in Europe. “We know all about each other,” said England coach Steve Cooper.
That night in Croatia, Spain won the lottery of penalty-kicks. Joel Latibeaudiere, one-half of England’s inner defence whose surefootedness has been important in the Young Lions’ journey in India, missed his but said such experiences make you stronger.
It fits a competition that has seen 170 goals, two short of the most ever, that Spain and England are in the final. England have scored 18 goals, Spain 15. On either side of the pitch, Rhian Brewster and Abel Ruiz could be contesting for the highest scorer’s record unless Mali’s Lassana N’Diaye puts it beyond them earlier in the evening.
Both teams love to have the ball and in Philip Foden and Mohamed Moukhliss have players who are midfield heartbeats. Having played them, Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu said Spain have better technical ability but England the balance between ‘physical and technical’. “It is possible that England are more physical but we played such teams in the Euros and beat them by finding ourselves. We have worked for this day for two years,” said Spain defender Hugo Guillamon. They even created a WhatsApp group “India 100%” for this.
They will be up against a side that, according to Morgan Gibbs White, doesn’t know ‘nervousness’, can again call the Salt Lake stadium ‘home’ and will take a lot of positives from the way they clinically shut out Brazil.
Once earlier in a World Cup, Spain lost their first match and the rest is history.
Having never made it past the quarter-finals, England now must show they care a fig for history even as they seek to write their own.