Despite suffering a disappointing 3-1 loss to Italy U17 at Aspire Zone – Pitch 9 on Sunday evening, Amajimbos are through to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup U17 for the first time in history.
The match got off to a rocky start for Amajimbos, conceding an early goal in the fourth minute through Samuele Inacio’s well-placed right-footed shot from the right side of the box.
However, the team regrouped and showed resilience, nearly scoring twice in the 12th and 16th minutes through Luke Hendricks and Kamohelo Maraletse, although their attempts were unsuccessful.
The tide turned in Amajimbos’ favor in the 32nd minute when Fabio Pandolfi scored an own goal after Maraletse’s right-footed shot from a difficult angle on the left hit the left post and was assisted by Emile Witbooi following a set-piece situation.
The first half ended 1-1, with both teams pushing hard for a second goal in the dying minutes, but neither managed to find the back of the net.
The second half saw Italy take control of the game, putting Amajimbos under pressure and scoring two goals within the first 20 minutes.
Antonio Arena headed in a corner kick in the 55th minute to make it 2-1 in favor of the Italians, and Inacio scored his second goal of the match with a right-footed shot from the center of the box two minutes later.
Despite Italy’s dominance, Amajimbos’ opponents were denied a fourth goal in the 72nd minute when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to rule out a penalty. Italy continued to push for another goal, but Amajimbos held on, and the match ended 3-1 in Italy’s favor.
Amajimbos finished second in Group A with four points, securing their spot in the knockout stage. The team’s journey is set to continue as they take on their next opponents in the knockout stage.
In the other Group A match, Qatar and Bolivia played out a 0-0 draw, with the host nation finishing third and Bolivia fourth.
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