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SURAKARTA, Indonesia — Canada’s winless streak at the FIFA U-17 World Cup stretched to 22 matches on Friday when it beat a sublime Spanish side 2-0 in the first match of the tournament for both teams.
Barcelona’s Marc Guiu and Quim Junyent scored for Spain, which dominated the game, outscoring Canada 28-1 (9-0 shooting) and possessing 63 consistent passes with hundredths of possession. Spain completed 667 passes to Canada’s 147.
Goalkeeper Nathaniel Abraham, one of five Toronto FC players in Canada’s starting lineup, had a busy night and it is perhaps an ethical victory for Canada to concede only twice against such skilled opposition.
Spain has finished second in the men’s U-17 festival 4 times (1991, 2003, 2007 and 2017) and 3rd twice (1997, 2009). Spain’s XI included six players from Barcelona’s formula and one from Real Madrid.
It was one-way traffic and Canada, under attack from the start, was reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute when co-captain Alessandro Biello was sent off for an altercation with Spain captain Pau Prim on the play.
After the game was destroyed by a Canada fumble in a rare foray into the Spanish half, the ball rolled to Prim, who chased it away. Biello, running, put Prim’s foot into the play in a probably irritable and unnecessary play and Peruvian referee Roberto Perez punished him. with a red card after examining the play on the pitch monitor.
Biello, the son of interim senior coach Mauro Biello, will miss at least the Canada game.
The Spaniards took the lead in the minute when Guiu stepped forward to head home a fine cross from Pablo Lopez.
Guiu, who joined Barca’s under-8 squad in 2013-14, made headlines last month when he scored 23 seconds after his first-team debut to give Barca a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. At 17 years and 291 days, he is the youngest player to score on his Barça debut.
Guiu helped in the 76th minute with the final pass of an adorable play that ended with Junyent in the Canadian defense.
Canada, in its eighth appearance at the U-17 World Cup, saw its tournament record drop to 0-18-4. The young Canadians lost all 3 matches in 2019 in Brazil, the last time the festival was held (the 2021 edition cancelled due to the pandemic).
Canada scored just 10 goals (and one own goal from Argentina) and conceded 62 in the youth tournament.
Mamadou Doumbia scored all three goals and Mali blanked Uzbekistan 3-0 in the other Group B match on Friday, beating the Asians 19-3 (6-1 on penalties).
The Canadians will face Uzbekistan on Monday, also at Manahan Stadium, before traveling 215 kilometres east to conclude the Group B match against Mali at Gelora Tomo Stadium in the port city of Surabaya.
The tournament will run until December 2 and Jakarta and Bandung will also host matches. The top two groups from the six groups, as well as the four best third-placed teams, advance to the knockout stage.
Spain put Canada under pressure from kick-off on a warm 28°C afternoon, elegantly caressing the ball down the pitch. And they came close in the 18th minute when a header from Pau Cubarsi, one of Barcelona’s players, went over the box. crossbar from a free kick.
When they took a break in the 30th minute, Spain had 66 points of ownership and outscored Canada 8-0 (1-0 shooting).
Vancouver FC midfielder Taryck Tahid fired wide in the 51st minute on Canada’s first genuine attack. Three minutes later, Spaniard Junyent’s shot hit the crossbar.
Spain brought on Villarreal substitute 15-year-old Igor Oyono in the middle.
Co-captain Lazar Stefanovic, a 17-year-old centre-back who once played for Toronto FC’s first team, wore the captain’s armband for Canada, whose starting XI included two players from CF Montréal’s youth academy and one from the Whitecaps Academy.
The Canadian Premier League is represented by Tahid and Forge FC striker Kevaughn Tavernier. Striker Antoni Klukowski, who plays in Poland for Pogon Szczecin, is the son of former Canadian foreigner Mike Klukowski.
The Canadians qualified by reaching the final four finalists of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in February in Guatemala, losing 2-0 to eventual runners-up United States in the semifinals. Mexico won the CONCACAF crown, while Panama also qualified for the FIFA showcase.
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This report from The Canadian Press was first published on November 10, 2023.
The Canadian Press
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