U-17 World Cup: Spain beat Mali to enter final (Lead)

Mumbai Oct 25 (IANS) Spain entered the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 3-1 win over an impressive Mali here on Wednesday.

Abel Ruiz (19th 43rd minutes) struck twice for Spain before half-time while Ferran Torres (71st) got the third goal.

Lassana N Diaye scored a consolation goal for Mali in the 74th minute.

This is the fourth time in the history of the tournament that Spain have entered the final. However they have never managed to win the title.

The reigning European U-17 champions lost by identical 0-1 margins to Ghana and Brazil in the finals of the 1991 and 2003 editions respectively. Nigeria beat them to the title in 2007.

Spain also finished third in 1997 and 2009.

It was heartbreak for Mali as they crashed out despite playing impressive football. The Africans played exciting attacking football throughout their campaign and Wednesday s match was no different.

Mali who had reached the final of the previous edition in 2015 matched Spain move for move and it was only the superb finishing ability of Spain centre forward Ruiz that was the major difference between the two teams.

--IANS
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