US enter Fifa U-17 WC pre-quarters
new delhi — United States secured their passage into the round of 16 riding on substitute Ayo Akinola’s 75-minute strike for a 1-0 victory over Ghana in an enthralling Group A game of the Fifa U-17 World Cup 2017 on Monday.
In another match, India lost by a slender 1-2 margin to Colombia in a Group A fixture.
A brace from Juan Penaloza (49th, 83rd minute) helped the visitors seal their first victory and earn three points. Jeakson Thounaojam etched his name in India’s football history in the 82nd minute when he headed in off a corner to become the first Indian to score at a FIFA World Cup at any age group.
In the US-Ghana match, coach John Hackworth’s 63rd minute substitution proved to be a masterstroke as the 17-year-old forward found the back of the net off a Christopher Goslin pass to put his team in front at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Up against a dangerous side that has won the tournament twice, the Americans then sat deep to counter Ghana’s quick counter attacks.
Ghana tried to find the equaliser, but USA’s dogged defence could not be breached as they become the first team to make it to the knock-out stage.
Some credit must be reserved for Hackworth, who, realising that Tim Weah, one of his better players, was having an off day, decided to make the change. And the move paid dividends 12 minutes later.
The Detroit-born Akinola, who was also eligible to play for Canada and Nigeria, could have had another goal to his name, but his shot went over.
Till Akinola got the better of Danlad Ibrahim, it appeared that the two teams would share the spoils after a slew of attempts failed to materialise in a goal.
Up until that point, the Ghana goalkeeper was doing his job like a dependable custodian would normally do. His counterpart at the other end of the field, Justin Graces, was also impressive.
In a battle for the top spot in the group, both Ghana and USA showed enterprise and even though the Americans dominated possession, the Africans looked dangerous with their speed and had eight attempts on target to their opponents’ six in the first half. — PTI