FIFA - The Iranians pulled off a bit of history by finishing top
of Group C, the first time a young Team Melli reached past the first
round of a FIFA U-17 finals. Colombia finished second with their dazzling array
of midfield talent and South American style, while the Netherlands came up short
and went out alongside bottom side Gambia.
The final
standings
1. Iran (7 points)
2. Colombia (5)
3. Netherlands
(3)
4. Gambia (1)
Upcoming
matches
Argentina-Colombia, Ijebu-Ode,
Wednesday 4 November, 16:00 (local time)
Iran- Uruguay, Calabar, Thursday 5
November, 19:00 (local time)
The tale of the
teams
Iran had heavy expectation on their shoulders coming into the
group, having been crowned champions of Asia a year earlier. They came out
flying in their opener, beating the nine men of Gambia by a simple-enough 2-0
scoreline. Their second match - which required a stoppage of some 60-plus
minutes due to rain - was a more complicated matter and they were lucky to
escape with a 0-0 draw against the talented Colombians. They hit their stride in
their third match, travelling to Enugu and beating the Dutch to finish the
section with seven points and no goals conceded.
Colombia - who looked
the most technically gifted side of the Calabar-based group - started like a
house on fire, disposing of the Netherlands 2-1. After their goalless draw with
the section-winning Iranians, they went off the boil a bit and were in real
danger of losing to Gambia after going down 2-0 in their last match. In the end
a 2-2 draw was enough to see them through. The Dutch, for their part, failed to
produce any real quality and went out after picking up only three points from a
win over last-place Gambia, who needed to change the vast majority of their
squad on the eve of the finals because of concerns over the MRI age
tests.
Memorable moments
Inconsolable
Scorpion
Needing a win in their final match to have any hopes of
reaching the knockout rounds, a late penalty kick - with the Gambians leading
2-1 - threatened to end their dreams. Goalkeeper Baka Ceesay, who was only
playing in his first game of the finals, thought he'd saved the day by diving
away the spot kick by Gustavo Cuellar. But referee Howard Webb ordered the kick
re-taken, and the Colombian midfield maestro made no mistake the second time. At
the final whistle of the 2-2 draw, the net-minder cried wild tears on the pitch
as his team-mates tried to pull him back together
Raging storm slows
Cafeteros
The attacking trio of Stiveen Mendoza, Cuellar and Wilson
Cuero had the Colombians looking like potential world-beaters in the first half
of their second game against Iran. Unfortunately for them, the dizzying speed
and ball movement after the pitch was a sodden mess due to a rainstorm that
caused the game to be suspended for over an hour. They never found their rhythm
again, drawing that one and their last game both.
Iran open with a
howler
Iran were having trouble scoring in their first game against
ten-man Gambia as half-time approached. However, a moment of horror for No1
Ousman Darboe, who fluffed a basic free-kick out from the back, saw the ball
fall right to the foot of the deadly Payam Sadeghian. The captain made no
mistake, curling the ball around and into the top corner of an open goal to send
Iran off on their winning ways.
Netherlands' Turkish
delight
The Dutch arrived in Calabar with a big reputation, but did
little to justify their tags as probable section favourites. Picking up only
three points after as many games, the Oranje's only real shining star
was creative Arsenal-based midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup, who did his level best to
steer the Europeans toward the knockout stages. Despite his efforts, the silky
captain was unable to keep his side from crashing out at the first hurdle.
The stat
0 - The number of goals
that Iran conceded in their three Group C games, two in Calabar and one in
Enugu. This is the first time an Asian side has ever pulled off such a feat of
stinginess at a FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The words
"It
is an honour for us to win this group because the Netherlands are at the top of
world football. It is an honour for me and my players to have won out and it is
my best experience as a coach so far." Ali Doustimehr, Iran
coach