Under-17 World Cup: Ireland 0 Paraguay 0
Canada will be Ireland’s opponents in the last 32 of the Under-17 World Cup after the young Boys in Green maintained their strong run of form to finish top of their group.
They missed out on finishing the group stages with a perfect points return after a scoreless draw with Paraguay on Tuesday, but they hardly cared as focus quickly switched to the knockout phase.
Courtesy of their earlier wins over Uzbekistan and Panama, Ireland knew they were already through no matter what transpired against Paraguay in Doha.
As it happened, the point was also enough for Paraguay to advance as one of the best third-placed finishers. They now face a daunting test against Brazil, while Ireland venture into the unknown against a Canadian team that beat Uganda 2-1 in their opener and held France scoreless in the second before losing 2-1 to Chile on Tuesday.
Sizing up the Canada challenge, Ireland manager Colin O’Brien said: “You cannot underestimate any team. We have qualified out of the groups but it’s like a new competition now, it’s knockout football and everything is at stake to try and stay here for as long as we can.
“Canadian football would have a lot of influence from the United States and football is well resourced and structured there. But the boys are doing our country really, really proud and they are flying the flag with distinction.”
Should they progress, Ireland would play either Switzerland or Egypt in the last 16, while Argentina, Portugal, Mexico and Belgium are the potential quarter-final opponents should they dare to dream of an extended stay in Qatar.
“We don’t know much about Canada as they’re not a team we have played before, so it’s interesting,” said captain Rory Finneran. “It’s very exciting looking at the possibilities of where we can go and what we can achieve, but if you don’t win your next game you won’t be playing the game after that.”
Against Paraguay, Ireland had their chances for a third successive victory, with Jaden Umeh and Victor Ozhianvuna enjoying the best of them. But in a scrappy and tight affair, neither side did enough to win, although they’ll both be content with how it played out.
“It was tough,” said midfielder Gavin McAteer. “They were very aggressive, a typical South American team. It’s very different to most other countries we play, who play more football. These are a bit more aggressive. Topping the group was the aim coming into it. We know how good we are and how we can be. I think we will get even better.”
Ireland’s Gavin McAteer in action against Paraguay’s Pedro Villalba. Photograph: Inpho
Paraguay certainly let Ireland know they were in a game, leaving their mark on O’Brien’s side, with Umeh’s ankles bearing the brunt of that aggression in the opening half.
The Benfica and former Cork City starlet has wasted no time in turning heads at the tournament and was pushed into a forward role alongside Shamrock Rovers’ Michael Noonan, the pair occupying Paraguay’s defenders from the outset.
But Mauro Coronel and Thiago Aranda gave as good as they got and Umeh had plenty to ponder with their meaty attempts to keep him under wraps. Yet the Irishman nearly had the last laugh, drawing a good save from Matias Fernandez with the best chance of the half just before the break.
Ireland were the better, calmer team throughout the opening period but let themselves down at times in coughing up possession in good areas or making poor decisions after promising advances upfield.
Ozhianvuna’s indecision in his own box nearly cost Ireland too. Latching on to Jhosias Campss’s cross from the left, the Shamrock Rovers man – who will join Arsenal in 2027 for €2 million – was torn between controlling the dropping ball or hacking it clear, but did neither.
Instead, the ball clipped him and fell to striker Mauricio De Carvalho, who ought to have put Paraguay in front, only to drag his shot wide of Alex Noonan’s post in a considerable let off for Ireland. He paid the price by getting hooked at half-time.
Again, there was very little give in either direction in the second-half but Paraguay’s energy levels started to drain while Ireland enjoyed a bounce from substitutes Goodness Ogbonna, Kian McMahon-Brown and Ramon Martos.
Ozhianuva kicked on and became far more influential, twice testing Paraguay with decent efforts. McMahon-Brown and Martos also fired off late shots from distance but failed to hit their range, while O’Brien took the opportunity to make use of Fifa’s new video appeal card to fight for a penalty but Canadian referee Filip Dujic dismissed claims of a handball on review.
Ultimately, a single point ticked the box for both sides, Ireland marching on to face Canada while Paraguay fell over the line to set up their meeting with Brazil.
REP OF IRELAND: A Noonan; Cullen (Ogbonna 62), Leonard, Sherlock (McDonagh 45); Butler, Finneran, McDonnell, McAteer (Martos 62), Ozhianvuna; M Noonan (McMahon-Brown 62), Umeh.
PARAGUAY: Fernandez; Aranda, Cristaldo, Coronel, Acosta (Y Ruiz 90); Franco (D Ruiz 83), Campss (Ojeda 45), Sanabria, Vera, Villalba (Freyres 72); Carvalho (Buhring 45).
Referee: F Dujic (Canada).
