Mexico move on to set up Nigeria meeting

Mexico eked out a 1-0 victory over Australia to tick off the first of their pre-tournament objectives at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ as they advanced to the knockout stage. The triumph came courtesy of captain Citlalli Reyes, who struck in the 35th minute and has now scored in two games on the spin.

The sight of the schemer darting purposefully around the pitch as she seeks to either set up a team-mate or unleash an effort on goal is a familiar one for the Mexico supporters.

After lining up against Australia in her 13th outing across three editions of the global showpiece, El Tri’s No10 holds the tournament appearance record: “Needless to say, I’m delighted to be top of the pile, but I’m now eyeing up even bigger things,” the skipper told FIFA after the final whistle at the Mohammed VI Football Complex.

Representing the senior national team is chief amongst Reyes' dreams, but in the meantime, she is lending her considerable experience to the U-17 cause on Moroccan soil.

Mexico will be encouraged by the fact that different players shone in the team’s two group-stage victories. In the 3-1 success over Chile, Bianka Arredondo was one of those who hogged the headlines after she claimed a pair of assists, while against the Junior Matildas, Zoe Sanchez was the standout performer after being at the heart of much of the team’s best attacking play, with the Monterrey marvel helping to regain possession and create wave after wave of chances.

Sanchez’s all-action display landed her the Player of the Match award. The beaming mastermind expressed her satisfaction at having received the accolade but was quick to recognise the role played by her team-mates, saying: “I’m over the moon. Although I’m really proud to be standing here, all of the girls deserve credit for this.”

The schemer, who also featured at last year’s tournament, added: “It’s a huge responsibility to be representing my country on the global stage for a second time. I’m giving it my all and am receiving tremendous support from the coaching staff. I couldn’t be any happier.”

Despite the euphoria of having defeated Australia to march into the Round of 16, Mexico are well aware of the need to up their game in the final third after having struggled to make their dominance tell. “In part, I understand the girls rushing things in their eagerness to go and put the game to bed. However, we failed to convert our chances, which is an area we have to address,” admitted coach Miguel Gamero.

The Concacaf heavyweights’ reward for progressing from their group – for a fifth time in their nine tournament campaigns – is a meeting with Nigeria, who also head into Thursday’s contest on the back of two wins and a defeat. The Flamingos reached the knockout phase after finishing level on points with table-topping title-holders DPR Korea and third-placed Poland in a fiercely contested Group B. The West Africans showed no signs of final-matchday jitters as they cruised to a 3-1 win over the AFC powerhouses, who have reigned supreme on this stage on four occasions.

Ahead of the meeting for a quarter-final spot, those in the Mexico camp recognise that there is likely to be little to choose between the teams: “We play with real intensity, but so do they. We’re hoping our technical ability will give us the edge,” explained Gamero.

As for record-breaking Reyes, she believes that the sky is the limit for the North Americans and highlighted the team’s togetherness as being key to their chances: “I don’t know how far we’re capable of going, but the one thing I will say is that if we keep doing the right things as a group, we’ve got what it takes to do something really special.”