“Not many people can beat the reigning champions,” Burkina Faso captain Cherif Barro said following his team’s stunning 1-0 FIFA U-17 World Cup™ victory over Germany.
He had every reason to be proud of the performance. They fought tooth and nail to defend their slender lead, which came in the fifth minute when Mohamed Zongo fired home a superb strike from the edge of the box.
The Burkina Faso coach, Oscar Barro, added: “We knew we were up against a tough team; they are the reigning champions. They have skill and individual talent in abundance. We respect whoever we’re up against, but we don’t fear anyone.”
That respect was reciprocated by his German counterpart, Marc-Patrick Meister, who was full of praise for the Young Stallions after the final whistle. “We were up against a very hard-working team, who did everything they could to stop us from scoring. I’d like to congratulate Burkina Faso wholeheartedly.”
The African side stood firm as Germany launched a torrent of attacks as they hunted a leveller. Burkina Faso, however, also created several chances to extend their lead on the counter-attack, but could not apply the finishing touch. That clinical edge was about the only thing missing from a performance full of heart and endeavour.
The spotlight now turns to the Round of 16, where Burkina Faso will face fellow African side Uganda, who edged past Senegal 1-0 a few hours before their toppling of Germany.
Coach Barro is hoping to build on the momentum shown by his young stars, who have now gone three matches unbeaten following their 1-0 opening-game defeat to USA
“We’ll start working tomorrow (Sunday) to figure out how to go into this match, so we’re not caught off guard and can continue our fine form,” he said. “Uganda have made it to the Round of 16, which shows what a quality side they are, so we need to prepare accordingly. We played them in a friendly match, but every team has changed their style and appearance since then.”
He is right to be wary of the Cranes, who have had a sensational run in their first World Cup appearance. After losing to Canada in their opening match, they held Chile to a draw and went on to beat France 1-0 to clinch a knockout-stage spot. They then tamed the Young Lions of Teranga in the last 32 – and are setting their sights even higher.
Ugandan goalkeeper Edrisah Waibi, who was awarded Player of the Match against Senegal, said “Our goal now is to go as far as possible in the competition.”
The game’s only goalscorer, Abubakali Walusimbi, added: “We have to believe that we can win the World Cup. It’s our first time participating, so we’re newbies, but we’ve got what it takes.”
Burkina Faso and Uganda will go head-to-head on Tuesday at 3:30pm (local time).
