U-17 World Cup: No extratime here, it’s straight into penalties

Margao: The knockout rounds of any

Fifa

tournament is a different kettle of fish from the league phase. There’s little room for error and seldom a second chance.

But the U-17 World Cup makes things tighter. Devoid of extratime, drawn matches will go straight into penalty shootouts as Fifa’s regulations based on advice from its medical wing prohibits prolonged play for 17 year olds or younger players.

Ironically, teams showed little or no attention to the dreaded tiebreaker.

Mexico, for one, chuckled away thoughts of penalties. “We want to win it in 90 minutes,” said coach Mario Arteaga and midfielder Marco Ruiz in unison.

Iraq coach Qahtan Al-Rubaye echoed the same ambition without even entertaining thoughts of revamping strategy if the match remains in balance deep into the second half.

The prospect of penalties, however, is likely to impact strategy and lineups but it’s also probable that coaches will be mindful of the substitution rules with a shootout looming.

That’s when the concept of specialist goalkeepers will be relevant. The regulations permit the substitution of the goalkeeper just before shootout if the team hasn’t exhausted its full complement of three.

Many a senior ace has quaked in his boots in football’s form of Russian Roulette. So spare a thought for teens in the cauldron, making the lonely walk to the spot.

Hopefully, if the resolve of Arteaga and Al-Rubaye translates into reality across the board, the players, still very much schoolboys, will be spared defeat of the most devastating nature.
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