England’s Under-17s Knocked Out of World Cup After Shock Defeat to Uzbekistan
England’s Under-17s have suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Uzbekistan in the round of 16, resulting in their elimination from the World Cup.
Early Lead for Uzbekistan
Amirbek Saidov gave Uzbekistan an early lead within the first four minutes of the match. However, Manchester City’s Joel Ndala managed to equalize for Ryan Garry’s side with a right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Heartbreak for England
With 23 minutes remaining in normal time, Lokomotiv Tashkent midfielder Lazizbek Mirzaev scored the winning goal from a free-kick, sending England out of the tournament being held in Indonesia.
Our #YoungLions exit the #U17WC following today’s Round of 16 defeat by Uzbekistan.
Keep your heads up, lads pic.twitter.com/ccO0yyxqnK
— England (@England) November 22, 2023
England’s elimination comes as a disappointment, considering they finished at the top of their group and secured their spot in the knockout stages with two wins out of three matches. They achieved a remarkable 10-0 victory over New Caledonia and a 2-1 win against Iran, but unfortunately lost to Brazil in their final group match.
The team had hoped to replicate their success from 2017 when former coach Steve Cooper, now managing Nottingham Forest, led them to lift the trophy with players like Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho.
Uzbekistan’s victory means they will face either France or Senegal in the quarter-finals. The tournament will conclude with the final at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta on Sunday, December 2.