Youth football's blockbuster event, which kicked off on 6th October in Kolkata, will come to an end in the same city this weekend. With 50 matches having taken place until now, the FIFA U-17 World Cup will witness its final two fixtures on 28th October. At 17:00 IST, the crowd at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium will witness a third-place play-off between Brazil and Mali following their losses in the semi-finale. After the third-place decider, much-awaited finale between European powerhouses England and Spain will take place at 20:00 IST.
Ahead of the clash between the Young Lions and La Rojita, Goal tells you everything you need to know about the 52nd match of the 2017 edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup.
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| Clash | England vs Spain |
| Venue | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium |
| Date | Saturday, October 28th |
| Time | 20:00 IST |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In India, the telecast of the match will be available on the Sony Ten network. Also, the game can be streamed live online using SonyLIV App.
| INDIA TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sony Ten 2 SD, Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony Ten 3 SD, Sony Ten 3 HD | SonyLIV App & website |
SQUADS
| Position | England players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Curtis Anderson, Josef Bursik, William Crellin |
| Defenders | Timothy Eyoma, Lewis Gibson, Marc Guehi, Jonathan Panzo, Joel Latibeadiere, Steven Sessegnon |
| Midfielders | George McEachran, Philip Foden, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Jadon Sancho, Nya Kirby, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Emile Smith Rowe, Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher |
| Forwards | Rhian Brewster, Angel Gomes, Daniel Loader |
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| Position | Spain players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Alvaro Fernandez, Marc Vidal, Alfonso Pastor |
| Defenders | Mateu Jaume, Juan Miranda, Hugo Guillamon, Victor Chust, Eric Garcia, Victor Perea |
| Midfielders | Antonio Blanco, Mohamed Moukhliss, Alvaro Garcia, Carlos Beitia, |
| Forwards | Ferran Torres, Sergio Gomez, Abel Ruiz, Nacho Diaz, Pedro Ruiz, Diego Pampin, Jose Lara, Cesar Gelabert |
ROUTE TO FINALE
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England, led by Steve Cooper, started their U-17 World Cup journey this year in Kolkata. Drawn in Group F, the Young Lions won all their group phase matches beating Chile 4-0 in the opening match followed by a 3-2 win against Mexico and 4-0 result against Asian heavyweights Iraq. This smooth run was tested in the round of 16 where they went neck to neck against Japan. The English boys survived the pre-quarter clash on penalties as they struck five goals in reply to East Asian boys' three.
Rhian Brewster scored consecutive hat-tricks in the quarter-final and semi-final as the English side got the better of USA (4-1) and Brazil (3-1) in Goa and Kolkata respectively.
As for the Spaniards, it wasn't a start coach Santiago Denia hoped for as La Roja fell prey to Brazil in their opening match. However, the young guns bounced back well and their improved performances saw them end second in Group D, thanks to victories over Niger and DPR Korea. In the pre-quarter round, Abel Ruiz's 90th-minute strike from the penalty spot saw the Spanish army get the better of fellow Europeans France.
In the final eight, Spain eased past Iran 3-1 to set up a semi-final clash with mighty West Africans Mali in Navi Mumbai. On 25th October, Les Aiglonnets failed to break Spain and La Rojita comfortably booked a berth in the tournament's grand finale.
Since the inception of FIFA U-17 World Cup, this is the first time ever that two Europeans are going to battle it out for the championship in the finale. It is also going to be a recap of the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship final which saw Spain conquer the title on penalties. Will history repeat?
