FIFA U17 World Cup: Brazil 2-0 Mali, 5 talking points
Brazil defeated Mali 2-1 to win the third-place game and finish third in the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 held here in India. The scoreline in truth isn’t a reflection of what actually happened on the pitch as Mali won a lot of hearts in Kolkata and India following their spirited display against Brazil and during the whole tournament.
The game started in a not-so-bright manner as both the teams looked to be getting a feel for each other. Brazil were very lucky to win the game as Mali missed several chances and they were also denied by some brilliant saves made by the Brazil goalkeeper and the World Cup's Golden Glove winner Brazao.
We take a look the main 5 talking points from today's clash:
#5 Brazil win despite lacklustre performance
Brazil finished the FIFA U17 World Cup as the third-placed team despite putting up a lacklustre performance especially in the first half. Most of their players were below par and we really didn't see any good moves until the 85th minute when Yuri Alberto combined with Marcos Antonio to bring about the first true good move by Brazil.
In the first half, except just one brilliant run by Lincoln, Brazil didn't have anything to cheer about. The Brazilian full-backs were just non-existent during most parts of the game. It was such a performance by Brazil that the crowd even started appreciating a back pass from the Canarinhos because quality forward passes from Brazil were as rare as an oasis in a desert.