Haaland from the Backlands decides, and Brazil is in the semifinal

Brazil is in the semifinal of the Under-17 World Cup. The Brazilian team defeated Morocco 2-1 on Friday afternoon, with a brilliant performance by a striker nicknamed ‘Haaland from the Backlands’. Dell, a center forward from Bahia’s youth team, scored both goals for Brazil in the match. ‘Haaland from the Backlands’ sealed the win in the final minutes to secure the qualification. Baha scored a penalty goal for Morocco.

This is the first time the Brazilian team did not face penalties in the knockout stage of the Under-17 World Cup. The young squad had previously eliminated Paraguay and France in penalty shootouts, thanks to great saves by goalkeeper João Pedro. Now, Brazil will face the Portuguese national team in the semifinals. Portugal eliminated Switzerland in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory.

The Brazilian team is aiming for their fifth title in Qatar. Brazil has already been crowned champions four times: in 1997, 1999, 2003, and 2019. The starting lineup for Brazil included: João Pedro, Ângelo, Luís Eduardo, Luccas Ramon, Arthur, Zé Lucas, Tiaguinho, Kayke, Morais, Ruan Pablo, and Dell, with coach Dudu Patetuci leading the team.

On the Moroccan side, the starting lineup featured: Bellaarouch, Zekri, Bellahsen, Soukrat, Bouhaddi, Saidi, El Aoud, Ibn Salah, El Khalfioui, Eddaoudi, and Baha, with coach Nabil Baha in charge. The match had its controversy early on when Morocco appealed for a penalty in the first minute but the referee allowed play to continue.

Brazil overcame initial pressure to take the lead. Zé Lucas provided an assist to Ruan Pablo in the 14th minute, setting up Dell’s goal. There were more scares, with Dell involved in another chance and impressive plays from Ruan Pablo. The first half ended with a penalty kick for Morocco that leveled the score. In the second half, Brazil had several opportunities to secure the victory but finally, Dell scored the winning goal in the final minutes, securing a historic win.