Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets successfully retained the FIFA U-17 World Cup after beating Mali 2-0 at the Estadio Sausalito Vina del Mar, with Victor Osimhen scoring his record-breaking tenth goal of the tournament.
Striker, Osinachi Ebere missed a penalty in the early minutes of the first half, the defence of the Malians proved difficult for the Nigerian lads as the game ended goalless in the first half, despite the efforts put in by the Eaglets to at least score a goal before the half-time.
The second half was a different ball entirely for the Golden Eaglets with the approach they adopted in the second half. Victor Osinhen rose to the occasion again by scoring his tenth goal of the tournament, which enabled him to break the nine goals scored by Florent Sinama Pongolle in 2001 and Souleymane Coulibaly ten years later.
Funsho Bamgboye later sealed the victory for Nigeria in the 59th minute, as the game ended 2-0 at regulation time. Despite a couple of late chances for Mali, from corner kicks, Nigeria retained possession for large spells and saw the game out to retain their crown. The jubilant scenes on the final whistle in Vina del Mar will surely live long in the memories of these Nigerian heroes of the present, some of whom may just become the stars of the future.
With the 2-0 victory against Mali in the final on Sunday, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy for a fifth-time record (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015 respectively).
Adidas Golden Ball
1. Kelechi Nwakali (Nigeria)
2. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
3. Ahly Malle (Mali)
Adidas Golden Boot
1. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
2. Johannes Eggestein (Germany)
3. Kelechi Nwakali (Nigeria)
Adidas Golden Glove
Samuel Diarra (Mali)
Fair Play Award
Ecuador