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Brazil were dealt a cruel blow at their home away from home in Guadalajara, losing out 3-0 to South American rivals Uruguay. All three goals resulted from the lightning-quick counter-attack of the Celeste, who now march on to the final at the vaunted Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
They will meet Mexico in the tournament's ultimate match after a gutsy performance from the hosts, and Julio Gomez in particular, stopped the German juggernaut in its tracks. The Pachuca man scored two goals, one coming after having his head smashed to a bloody pulp, an injury requiring seven stitches.
Results
Uruguay 3-0 Brazil
Germany 2-3 Mexico
Goal of the day
Julio Gomez 90’, Germany-Mexico
The Pachuca defender had already done enough to be considered Mexico’s hero on the night. By the time the 90th minute rolled around, he had scored one, created a second and had to leave the pitch on a stretcher with blood spilling from his head. Just as it looked like the Mexicans would have to finish the game a man down – coach Raul Gutierrez having made all of his subs – the brave warrior ran back down the tunnel, head wrapped in a huge bandage, changed his shirt and re-entered the fray to a roar from the crowd. Amazingly, he had them shouting again in the last minute of regular time when his dazzling overhead kick won the game and put Mexico in the final.
Memorable moments
Yellow and blue make red
They say that familiarity breeds contempt. Neighbours Brazil and Uruguay have met 70 times on the world’s biggest football stages at senior level, including the notorious Maracanazo in 1950. This history of rancor and simmering tempers can’t help but inform proceedings whenever the two meet, whatever the age level. A full seven yellow cards were brandished when the two crossed swords in their U-17 semi-final in Guadalajara, and the Russian referee frequently had to separate irate and puffed-out players in a game where no ball went uncontested and no challenge was anything less than full-blooded. Uruguayan defender Gaston Silva’s nerves were wound so tight that he even snapped the corner flag in two early in the second half.
Mexico go green
The fans in Torreon caught a glimpse of their hometown heroes in the flesh for the first time today. Home to club side Santos Laguna, the brand-new Estadio Torreon – smack in the middle Mexico’s barren northern desert – is a vision in green. All 30,000 seats in the ground, which is home to green-and-white striped Santos Laguna, matched the shirts of the El Tri players, and the coincidental colour-coordination and passionate support helped save the day. Mexico won the thriller of these finals in dramatic style with their first-ever win at any level against Germany.
Uruguayan bench providers
Substitutes have had their say for Uruguay on their historic run to the U-17 World Cup final. Guillermo Mendez drove into the box just four minutes after coming on with a powerful and steely run today against Brazil. When the ball was half-tackled away, his fellow super-sub Juan San Martin (who came on at the half) slammed a vicious half-volley with his right foot into the side netting. Mendez added a third goal five minutes into stoppage time. In all, substitutes have scored three of Uruguay’s 11 goals, 27 per cent.
The stat
3 – The number of penalty-kicks Uruguay have taken in Mexico. Normal Celeste spot-kick man Guillermo Mendez, who missed one and scored one so far, started on the bench today, so Elbio Alvarez did the honours. The Penarol man fired straight up the middle to score the 105th penalty-kick in the history of tournament. The game ended 3-0 for Uruguay, only the second time Brazil have been beaten by such a lopsided scoreline in a U-17 finals.
Up next
The final, 10 July, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Uruguay-Mexico
Third-place match
Brazil-Germany
Gomez the hero for mighty Mexico
http://www.fifa.com/
Mexico looked dead and buried in their semi-final against Germany, down 2-1 in the 76th minute. But Julio Gomez – who had opened the scoring – inspired a second goal, went off on a stretcher with blood pouring from his head and then scored the winner in the 3-2 classic semi-final that sends El Tri through to the ultimate match at the Estadio Azteca on 10 July. Germany, for their part, will have only the consolation of taking on Brazil in the match for third place.
The fans didn’t have to wait long to jump up out of their seats as their beloved home side took the lead after only three minutes. A curling cross from the left side from Jorge Caballero picked out Gomez, who nodded an oddly bouncing header inside the near post after eluding his marker’s attentions. The Torreon crowd – seeing their home team for the first time at these finals – must have thought they would be treated to a rout.
Germany had other ideas, however. While the Mexicans went back up in search of another goal, they were soon given a taste of the Europeans’ trademark ruthless efficiency. A mistake by captain Carlos Briseno allowed the wily Samed Yesil to get hold of the ball in the attacking third and score his sixth goal of Mexico 2011. His low rolling shot from long-range slipped past the wrong-footed Richard Sanchez and into the back of the net to a gasp from the shocked crowd.
Yesil nearly picked up his second mid-way through the opening period when he dribbled past his man and fired low again from 25 yards with his left foot. The effort slipped just wide of the post this time as the fans began to chew their fingernails.
Both sides had chances to score before the interval. Jorge Espericueta and Marco Bueno were both denied by Oddisseas Vlachodimos at one end and then Germany’s ace in the hole, Yesil, could only hit over with the goal at his mercy. The Mexicans began to pile on the pressure early in the second half. Espericueta went close to putting Mexico back in the lead after only five minutes, but the safe hands of the German keeper denied him.
Short passes were the order of the day for the home side, but they were unable to find the final pass in attack. Noah Korzowski nearly did them a favour in the 58th minute when he tapped just wide of his own goal from a Gomez cross. It took the Europeans only seconds to get it right up the other end. The powerful Emre Can raced past three defenders, burst into the penalty and slotted home while sliding to put the Germans into a 2-1 lead.
The Mexicans did their all to haul themselves back into the game, and they got the leveler in the 76th minute. Espericueta’s corner-kick flew directly into the net as Gomez and a German defender collided on the goal-line. The celebrations in the stadium were tempered by the fact that Gomez had to be stretchered off the pitch with a head injury, requiring stitches. He made his way back onto the field after changing his shirt and having his head wrapped and went on to win the contest with a goal for the ages. His dazzling overhead kick will go down in the legend and lore of Mexican football and the U-17 World Cup both.
The Mexicans now move on to the final of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca on 10 July, where they will meet Uruguay, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the other semi-final.
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