England crush Brazil to enter under 17 final
kolkata — Talismanic striker Rhian Brewster fired his second hat-trick on the trot as England marched to their maiden Under-17 FIFA World Cup final with a clinical 3-1 win over Brazil at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan here on Wednesday.
The Englishmen, who have won all their six matches so far, would now take on the victors of the other semifinal between Spain and Male — scheduled later in the evening — in Saturday’s summit clash at the same venue. Brewster struck a brace in the first half (10th and 39th minutes) before finding the net again in the 77th minute in the thrilling and fast semifinal, that saw an attendance of nearly 64,000 spectators. The Liverpool player had also scored a hat-trick in England’s 4-1 win over the US in the quarterfinal, and now leads the scorers’ list with seven goals.
Three-time champions Brazil’s only goal came from Wesley (21st) and they would now take on the losing semifinalists in a clash for the third place hours before the final.
The game, which was moved Victory for england against favourite
brazil side from Guwahati to Kolkata due to soggy ground conditions at the Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium following heavy rain, rose to dizzying heights, with both teams playing picture-perfect passes and displaying great ball control.
The constant attacks and counter-attacks saw the ball travelling fast at both ends, with the bulk of the spectators rooting for Brazil.
But England’s superb midfield organisation and lethal attack force outclassed Brazil. The hardworking Philip Foden was the pivot in the English moves with his nippy runs and sublime distribution creating constant havoc in the Brazilian defensive third. England went into the lead as early as the 10th minute somewhat against the run of play. —