round of 16 to end the African challenge. Cameroon
had finished bottom of group E with Spain, Argentina
and Tajikistan. “The African teams have progressed
well,” said Senegal coach Malick Daf. “But we are not
yet at the top level.”
The Dutch met their match in Mexico, but felt
aggrieved about the referee’s free-kick decision that led
to Mexico’s equaliser. The French had similar grievances
in their shock semi-final defeat by Brazil, but in truth
had only themselves to blame by sitting on their 2-0
lead and inviting Brazilian pressure.
“I heard that the referee made the wrong choices at
some point in the other semi-final and that happened
to us also,” said Hansen. “That is unfortunate.”
With their physicality, pace on the wings and the
midfield artistry of Adil Aouchiche, France dazzled,
scoring 19 goals and wiping out Spain 6-1 in the
quarter-finals. The two-footed Aouchiche’s vision
and seven assists formed the heartbeat of a modern
team with aggressive marking and quick ball retention.
France had the best collective and individual talents,
but even if Aouchiche repeated his standout
performance from the European Championship, where
he had been deployed as a striker, it didn’t suffice in a
tournament dominated by pragmatism.
The French claimed the bronze medal, scored 22
goals in seven matches, possessed arguably the player
of the tournament, but were left to ponder how they
WORLD SERVICEfailed to get past a limited Brazilian team in the semi-
finals in a match that finally caught the public’s
imagination. Until then, the three host cities of Brasilia,
Goiana and Cariacica had struggled to draw crowds.
“Holland and France played the best football,” said
Aouchiche who walked off in tears after the Brazil
defeat. “Brazil and Mexico showed great mental
strength, but in terms of quality France and Holland
were superior.”
It was left to the hosts and Lazaro to rally again in
the Final. Yet, the gritty Brazilians never inspired – with
the exception of winger Veron. At 1.89m and 1.90m,
central defensive pairing Henri and Luan Patrick were
the two tallest outfield players in the starting XI, but
they were tall and slow, which prevented the team from
playing a high line – an affliction other Brazilian youth
sides have suffered from in the past – and in turn
compromised the side’s entire dynamic.
Ronaldinho is the only Brazilian player to have won
both the Under-17 World Cup, in 1997, and the senior
equivalent, in 2002. In all, just eight players from
Brazil’s four under-17 world title-winning sides have
gone on to wear the colours of the senior team.
Dalla Dea claimed that this team is “a great
generation”, even if few will succeed in the future. At
the very least, a focus on player development instead
of results would have eased the pathway forward for
the new champions.Six...Nathanael Mbuku (left) was among
the scorers as France thrashed Spain