A historic World Cup for the Canadian U-17 national team continued on Tuesday as they advanced to the knockout round for the first time.
Despite a 2-1 loss to Chile in their group stage finale, Canada finished second place after a dramatic final matchday in Group K. All four teams in the group finished level on four points. Canada finished above Uganda on head-to-head record, Chile on goal difference and narrowly below France on goal difference.
York United’s Shola Jimoh scored the opening goal of Tuesday’s loss to Chile, a well-taken finish into the bottom left corner after being played in well by Kevin Khan. It was Jimoh’s sixth goal for Canada at the U-17 level across all competitions.
Canada had an excellent chance to equalize and take over top spot in the group deep into second-half stoppage time when Van Parker won a penalty. However, he put his effort over the bar.
Atlético Ottawa’s Sergei Kozlovskiy also made his first appearance of the tournament for Canada, coming off the bench in the second half.
This had already been a history-making tournament for Canada, who won their first match at a U-17 World Cup in their ninth appearance after beating Uganda 2-1 in their tournament opener. They also drew France 0-0 in their other group stage match.
Canada now advances to the round of 32, to be played on either Friday or Saturday. Canada will learn their opponent following the conclusion of the other groups, with seeding based on group stage performance.
