England staged a sensational fightback to outplay Spain 5-2 and clinch their maiden title as curtains came down on the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Kolkata Saturday night. Salil BeraEngland staged a sensational fightback to outplay Spain 5-2 and clinch their maiden title as curtains came down on the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Kolkata Saturday night. The Young Lions showed tremendous character to recover from a two-goal deficit and sink the European champions with a second-half blitz and thus avenge their defeat at the hands of the Spanish in the European U-17 Championships final.
England were deserving winners as they stunned hot-favorites Brazil 3-1 to book their place in the title clash for the first time. Liverpool U-23 player Rhian Brewster was the hero as his hat-trick buried the Selecao. Brewster, who won the Golden Boot with eight goals, also scored a hat-trick in their 4-1 demolition of the US in the quarterfinals.
It was Brewster again who came to England's rescue as his strike on the stroke of half-time revived their hopes in the final. He was ably assisted by Man City's Phil Foden and Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odio in their triumph.
Rhian Brewster won the Golden Boot with eight goals. Getty ImagesSuch was the quality of England managed by Steve Cooper that Jadon Sancho, recalled by his Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, was not missed much in the knockout phase. A second global title after their victory in the U-20 World Cup in June demonstrates English football is in safe hands.
Impressive Spain
Despite falling at the final hurdle for the fourth time, La Roja can return with their head held high. The Spanish impressed one and all with their tiki-taka, and much will be heard of strikers Abel Ruiz and Sergio Gomez as well as playmaker Ferran Torres in the future.
Brazil failed to regain the cup, but the Samba Boys dazzled before Brewster stopped them in the semifinals. Poor finishing let them down at the crunch.
Despite the absence of star player Vinicius Junior, the likes of midfielder Alan, strikers Paulinho and Lincoln made sure Brazil were there at the business end of the tournament.
Mali went down fighting and their fourth-place finish was yet another reminder that the beautiful game is alive and kicking in Africa.
Iran, who made it to the quarterfinals, and Japan, who stretched England before going down on penalties in the pre-quarterfinals, did Asia proud. Iran's 4-0 drubbing of Germany was easily the upset of the group stage.
India, playing the World Cup finals for the first time, put up a spirited show in a tough group comprising the US, Colombia and Ghana. However, the team has a long way to go and clearly need more exposure to compete with fancied rivals.
Record attendance
The country could be proud of the way it hosted the event. It was a controversy-free championship and the record attendance of 13,28,733 for this edition was a proof the Indians embraced the game. India has enhanced its reputation and it won't be a surprise if it gets the right to host the U-20 World Cup in 2019.
The biggest legacy of this championships is going to be infrastructure development and the key now is to maintain the grounds. No doubt, the tournament would have inspired a new generation to pick up the sport and it could lead to a football revolution.
Read also: More U-17 WC stories | Gay duo comes out to defend under-fire Stokes
