FIFA U-17 World Cup: 10-Man Brazil Topped New Zealand To Qualify For Knock-out

The hosts of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019™ sealed passage to the knockout stage on Tuesday night via their 3-0 win against New Zealand in Brasilia. It didn't come easy, as Brazil were reduced to 10 men in the 42nd minute when defender Yan Couto was shown a straight red card.

They persevered and now move joint-top of Group A with Angola, who are also bound for the Round of 16.
Brazil ran into a Young All Whites side up for the challenge of defending a team that scored four times in its opener. Still, the South American outfit managed to pull ahead in the 19th minute through No9 Kaio Jorge, assisted by Gabriel Veron. When Yan Couto's foul was deemed red card-worthy following VAR's intervention, the ten-man Brazilians had to change their tactics. They passed the test in the second half, with Talles Magno and Diego striking on the counter-attack in the 81st and 90th minutes, respectively.

Angola and Brazil will now meet on November 1st to slug it out for top spot while Canada and New Zealand will hope to outscore each other for a chance to go through as one of the lucky best losers.

By Olamide Oyetunji