Confirmed is the lineup for the U-17 World Cup semifinal.
Here is a profile of the final four countries standing at Indonesia 2023,along with the reasons they could advance to the final four, ahead of two thrilling FIFA U-17 World CupTM semi-finals that take place in Surakarta on Tuesday Argentina versus Germany and France versus Mali.
Germany
Germany had an extremely successful knockout phase after an ideal group stage campaign in which they scored three goals in every game and gave up just two goals.Three proved to be the magic number once more as Bilal Yalcinkaya scored in the 87th minute to send Christian Wuck’s team through as 3-2 winners after theUSA twice put them behind.
After the Germans recorded over 70 shots in their first four games, they played free-flowing football. However, in the quarterfinal match against Spain,they adopted a more practical, back-to-the-wall defensive strategy. A penalty kick by Paris Brunner in the second half completed a smash-and-grab victory,even though their European opponents had more possession, over 400 more passes, and 23 shots on goal to Germany’s five.
This Germany team exudes confidence, and Wuck has demonstrated that he can switch strategies when necessary. As a result, they may be the immovable object against Argentina’s seemingly unstoppable force on Tuesday in the semi-final.
France
An outstanding defensive record has served as the cornerstone of France’s campaign. In their five games at Indonesia 2023, they have not let up a goal,and going back further than this tournament, they have maintained ten straight clean sheets. Their back line has been expertly marshaled by captain Joachim Kayi Sanda,and goalkeeper Paul Argney has been in outstanding form. One of his standout saves came in their last-16 penalty shootout against Senegal.
Power and agility are combined with exceptional technical skill and remarkable tactical awareness on Jean-Luc Vannuchi’s squad. With players like Mathis Lambourde,Tidiam Gomis, and Ismail Bouneb, they have players who can turn games around quickly, even though they haven’t quite clicked as an attacking force thus far in the knockout phase.
Mali
Mali has made a lot of friends and admirers with their fearless attacking football throughout the U-17 World Cup. The only blemish on Mali’s record was a close 1-0 loss to Spain, but other than that, they breezed through Group B with victories of 3-0 over a formidable Uzbekistan team and 5-1 over Canada
Mali advanced to the round of eight and a historic all-African tie with Morocco after a second five-star performance against another North American team, Mexico.The team led by Soumalia Coulibaly dominated the entire game and earned a 1-0 victory to increase their tournament goal total to 14 goals.
Mali will play France on Tuesday in an attempt to win its first-ever FIFA tournament after placing third in both the U-17 and U-20 divisions.
Argentina
Argentina lost their first game to Senegal, but they soon got back on track and have been blowing teams away with their devastating attacking play ever since. Captain Claudio Echeverri has been in the news a lot lately because of his incredible hat-trick in their 3-0 derby victory over Brazil, but the No. 10 is just
one dynamic member of an incredible frontline.
While center-forward Agustin Roberto has been merciless in front of goal, Ian Subiabre and Santiago Lopez have continuously provided speed, cunning, and penetration.He is tied for the most goals scored in the U-17 World Cup with Echeverri after five goals.
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