Agency :
The Under-17 FIFA World Cup will have a new champion as Portugal and Austria reached their first-ever final on Monday. Portugal beat Brazil 6-5 in sudden death, while Austria pipped Italy 2-0.
Austria’s recent momentum in international football continues, with the senior men’s team ending a 28-year wait to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Now, the U-17 side has added to that rise, booking a place in the final after a brace from Johannes Moser.
Moser, the highest goalscorer in the tournament (eight goals in seven games), opened the scoring in the 57th minute, converting a perfectly executed through ball, and doubled the lead with a superb free kick in second-half stoppage time.
The other semifinal between Portugal and Brazil, however, turned out to be a rather cagey affair. Only four shots – two of each side – were on target in the entire game, while there were 35 fouls in the match.
Brazil, the second most successful team in the competition with four titles, looked for an early breakthrough through Dell, nicknamed the Haaland of Sertão and currently the second highest scorer in the tournament with five goals in seven matches.
However, Portugal goalkeeper Romário Cunha guarded the goal with authority, saving two of his attempts as the match trudged into penalty shootouts.
Both teams converted the first four spot kicks, but Cunha missed the fifth penalty for Portugal, shooting it over the bar. Brazil could have won the game, but Ruan Pablo hit the woodwork.
José Neto scored Portugal’s seventh penalty, and with his teammates waiting at halfway, Angelo Candido missed for Brazil, sealing Portugal’s place in its first-ever U-17 World Cup final.
Austria and Portugal will lock horns in the final at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 27. The third-place match, between Brazil and Italy, will be played at the Aspire Academy in Doha earlier on the same day.
