FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 gets under way
Group A: Hosts cruise, Angola celebrate
Group B: Favourites come from behind, Ecuador cause an upset
The day replayed: Title favourites Brazil and Nigeria got their FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019™ campaigns under way with wins, scoring four goals apiece. The hosts treated their home fans to quite a show in Group A, with playmaker Peglow catching the eye in particular, but the Super Eaglets (Group B) only put their match against Hungary to bed toward the end, stepping up the intensity in the final quarter of an hour to avoid an upset.
Angola celebrated their first-ever win at this tournament by defeating New Zealand while Ecuador got the better of Australia thanks to two goals in the opening ten minutes.
There were three own goals on the opening day of the tournament, with Anton Mlinaric (Australia), Kobe Franklin (Canada) and Harry Bark (New Zealand) all putting the ball into their own net.
⚽ Results
Group A [[flag-bra-xs]] Brazil 4-1 Canada [[flag-can-xs]] [[flag-nzl-xs]] New Zealand 1-2 Angola [[flag-ang-xs]]
Group B [[flag-nga-xs]] Nigeria 4-2 Hungary [[flag-hun-xs]] [[flag-ecu-xs]] Ecuador 2-1 Australia [[flag-aus-xs]]
📌 Memorable moments
Nigeria flirt with disaster With just 11 minutes left on the clock, fans at Goiania's Estadio Olimpico may have thought they were in for the first shock of the tournament. Underdogs Hungary were 2-1 up against Nigeria, the most successful team in this competition's history. Three goals in the space of seven minutes however, in the 79th, 81st and 86th minutes, turned the match around in favour of the African side.
Singing in the rain The hosts' opening match was about to get under way when a shower well and truly drenched the Estadio Bezerrao in Brasilia (Gama). Spectators then poured back in but the rain continued. Fortunately for them, the Canarinha were on top form and sent their fans home soaked but happy.
One for the annals The match was only six minutes old when Zini broke into the New Zealand penalty area and recorded Angola’s first-ever goal at a FIFA U-17 World Cup, and this eventually led to their maiden win at this tournament. Their only previous success at any FIFA event came almost two decades ago, at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2001, where they managed a 2-1 win over Japan to go with draws against Czech Republic (0-0) and Australia (1-1). That was enough to see them into the Round of 16, but they fell there 2-0 to the Netherlands.
📅 Up next
29 October
Group A [[flag-ang-xs]] Angola - Canada [[flag-can-xs]] (Brasília/Gama, 17:00 local time) [[flag-bra-xs]] Brazil - New Zealand [[flag-nzl-xs]] (Brasília/Gama, 20:00 local time)
Group B [[flag-nga-xs]] Nigeria - Ecuador [[flag-ecu-xs]] (Goiania, 17:00 local time) [[flag-aus-xs]] Australia - Hungary [[flag-hun-xs]] (Goiania, 20:00 local time)