By Eniola Olatunji
…France lose to Orange Girls of Netherlands 6-7 on Penalties in Dramatic Match.
THE ITALIAN U17 women’s football team on Sunday night lost a second opportunity to play at the semifinal stage of the tournament in Morocco on the training pitch instead of match day against Mexico as the soccer loving nation lost three penalty kicks advantage that would have sent Mexico back home in the quarterfinals.
Italy lost in the quarterfinals 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Italy lost two penalty kicks in the first half of the match; the first through Midfielder, Rachela Giudicci in the 21st minute of play. She had scored against Africa twice, against Morocco and Nigeria. It was sad that in the 41st minute, AS Roma Forward, Giulia Galli lost another penalty kick which would have wrapped up the match in the first half.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes of play and in the ensuing penalty kicks of five to each team, Rachela Giudici’s choice by the coach to take the 4th kick ended the Italian dream. She again lost the kick. Loosing two penalties in a match will be a night mare that will haunt Rachela forever.
Italy had a better record before this match scoring 14 goals and conceding 4. She beat Costa Rica 3-0; landed Morocco 3-1; surprised Brazil 4-3 and then sent Nigeria to sleep 4-0. Italy had two clean sheets.
Mexico scored three goals; conceded 2 but had a wonderful three clean sheets. She lost to North Korea 0-2; beat Netherlands by a lone goal; piped Cameroon also by a lone goal and dismissed Paraguay by a lone goal in the round of 16 match. That meant Mexico was a low scoring nation.
Mexico is in her 8th appearance at the tournaments and her only podium finish was a loss in the Uruguay 2018 games when she lost in the final to Spain 1-2.
Italy too had one podium finish at the Costa Rica Games of 2014 when she won Bronze by beating Venezuela 2-0 via penalties after 4-4 at full time.
Peeping into the record books of FIFA it was discovered that Mexico was rated 10th in the world after last competition having played 26 matches winning 9 drew 4 and lost 13 scoring 39 goals and conceding 52 having 31 points; Italy was 18th playing 4 matches winning 2 and drawing 2 scoring 9 goals and conceding 9. Incidentally Nigeria was 5th after playing 28 matches winning 14 drew 7 and lost 7scoring 61 goals and conceding 33 with 49 points.
Earlier it was big time football drama as Netherland stopped France on penalties 7-6 to net the semifinal ticket. Nigeria’s Manchester United player, Rachael Adedini who bagged a yellow against Nigeria scored the curtain raiser 34th minute through Lou Ruffien assist.
Then the drama began at added time when at 90+1st minute when Luna Laboucarie lone strike made it 2-0 for France but the Orange Girls of Mexico rallied themselves and in 90+3rd minute scored her first goal and at 90+8 Derks Ranneke got the equalizer from a lone strike making the match to go into penalty shootouts
Two shots were first missed by France through Kharafi and Laboucarie then Weerlts and Dap missed for Netherland making everyone at the stands to stand and bite their nails praying like Nigerians, “OH GOD GIVE US THIS DAY” but the lack of motivation from a stadium that was quiet like a grave yard made Fatier lose her shot badly. NETHERLANDS WON 7-6.
The first semifinal is between Brazil and North Korea in Rabat on Wednesday 5th November at 4:30pm while the 2nd semifinal will be Netherlands vs Mexico also at Rabat at 8pm same Wednesday.
The Losers’ match will also be at Rabat on 8th November while the grand finale also holds in Rabat that night,
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
#FIFAU17WWC #Mar2025U17wwc #MFP #DPRKFA
#IFA #CAF #NFF #CSA #FCF #FAZ #MFA.
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
