Over 105,000 people showed up at the famed Estadio Azteca on Sunday evening in Mexico City to watch a bunch of kids. It was the Under-17 World Cup final, but it didn’t feel anything like a youth tournament. The stadium was filled to the brim, people from all around the world tuned in to watch on TV and the quality of play was well beyond what you would expect from, well, kids. That was especially true of the hosts, Mexico, who played crisp and clean football all match to overwhelm Uruguay and claim the U-17 World Cup with a 2-0 victory that lit up the iconic stadium.
Under-17 World Cup Final 2011, Mexico Vs. Uruguay: Hosts Claim U-17 Title With 2-0 Win
Just because the players were adults didn’t mean that the green-clad crowd at the Azteca was going to take things easy. The chants and songs, for Mexico and against Uruguay, were no different than it is for the men’s team. The roar of the crowd sounded exactly the same and the beer flying all around the stadium after Mexico goal was also the same.
In the 31st minute, that beer went flying. Uruguay cleared a corner kick away, but only as far as Kevin Escamilla, who chased the ball down on the right. He quickly played a cross back in in all the way to the back post where Carlos Fierro nodded it back across the face of goal. Antonio Briseno was waiting right there for it and only had to tap the ball in for the opening tally of the match.
Mexico continued to show great calm and confidence, passing the ball around easily and dictating the play. It led to a few chances, but no goals. Even so, Mexico were in control of the match and most impressively for a group of youngsters, they were organized and disciplined all match.
As the match wound down it looked inevitable that Mexico would win. They had never given up control of the match and it was really just a matter of waiting for time to run out, but the Mexicans gave the capacity crowd one more thrill. With Uruguay pushing forward for a goal, Mexico caught them on the counter-attack in the 90th minute. Arturo Gonzalez broke down field with just one defender back for Uruguay, but he was patient and waited for Giovani Casillas to join him on the left. Casillas gathered the pass and with just the keeper to beat, slotted his shot home for the trophy clinching goal.
Uruguay wasn't supposed to be in the final. Alejandro Furia may draw comparisons to a young Diego Forlan, but he's the closest thing that Uruguay had to a star. Meanwhile, Mexico had Fierro, Julio Gomez and some of the best young talent Mexico has ever produced. It was a team that many said was better than the 2005 team that won the U-17 World Cup. Well now that the 2011 team also has won the top trophy for the age group they can claim to be as good as the 2005 team, if not better.
For more on Mexico vs. Uruguay and Mexican football in general, visit SB Nation’s Mexican football blog FMF State Of Mind.
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