African Teams Face Setback at FIFA U-17 World Cup: Morocco’s Defeat to Ecuador After Opening Win Against Panama.
Despite a promising start with a 2-0 victory over Panama, Morocco suffered a 0-2 loss to Ecuador in the sweltering conditions of Surabaya. Ecuador’s captain, Michael Bermudez, emerged as the hero with a second-half brace, securing their lead in Group A.
The match, marked by limited chances, saw Morocco’s missed opportunities in the first half, while Ecuador capitalized after the break, sealing the win with a penalty and a late goal.
Ecuador now look well placed to qualify for the knockout phase.
Their African opponents still remain second after hosts Indonesia and Panama played out a draw.
A 62nd-minute Juan Hernandez strike was enough for Spain to beat 10-man Mali in Surakarta and take a giant leap towards the FIFA U-17 World Cup knockout phase.
The African side played for more than half of the game with a numerical disadvantage after Mamadou Doumbia – hat-trick hero in their opening-game win over Uzbekistan – was sent off.
Ange Martial Tia thought he had given Mali the lead when he slotted home on the half-hour mark – the goal was chalked off, however, following a VAR review for a foul in the build-up by Sekou Kone.
The African side had looked the more likely to score, even before the disallowed goal, but game took a significant turn on 40 minutes when Doumbia was red-carded for a challenge on Pau Prim.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Mali continued to regularly advance into dangerous positions in the early stages of the second half – but Spain hit the front with a moment of real quality.
