EGYPT '97 - FIFA.com

At this tournament too,
most goals were scored :
- with the feet, a total of 89
(penalties not included)
against 17 headers .
- by the forwards (60, or
51 .3%)
- from the region between
the goal area and the penalty
spot (40, or 34 .2%)
- following an infield move
(combination, one-two
pass) (39, or 33.3%)
In all 12 penalties were
awarded, and 10 of them
converted (one went wide,
the other was saved by the
goalie) . On 17 occasions
substitutes scored goals . Statistically,
Brazil's goalkeeper
Fabio came off best with an
average of only 0 .3 goals conceded
per match Oust 2 in
540 minutes of play) .
Again, too little advantage
was taken of set pieces, with
only 24 goals resulting from
standard situations, including
the 10 penalties . Replacement
footbaI Is were made
available around the pitch so
that the game could continue
as quickly as possible . This
was appreciated by both the
players and the spectators,
and the effective playing time
of 65 minutes and 9 seconds
per match was in line with
Ecuador '95 when this
scheme was first tried out .
The 32 matches (spread
over 24 playing days) attracted
over 500,000 spectators
(compared to 266,000
on 19 playing days in Ecuador)
. More than half of this
total (285,000) turned out to
watch the home team and
the finals in Cairo .
*Further details in the statistics brochure
Final remarks
For the U-17 tournament in
Italy in 1991, four new nations
managed to qualify, the
largest total apart from the
early years between 1985
and 1989 . This year the newcomers
also totalled four,
with Mali attracting attention
by reaching the quarterfinal,
while the other three (Thailand,
Austria and New Zealand)
all ended up at the bottom
of the tournament ranking
. For their national associations
it will be important to
analyse their experiences at
this competition, so that they
will be able to perform better
on future appearances .
Over the years, the total
number of different countries
qualifying for the final round
at least once has reached 44
(compared to 60 for the U-20
World Championship, which
has been running since
1977) . And the trend seems
TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS
to be for more new countries
to get through, evidence that
worldwide efforts to promote
youth football are
meeting with some success
in this age category too .
The way the delegations
are run has also become
more professional, with more
specialised assistance on
hand to look after the team .
No squad arrived this time
without its own doctor,
physiotherapist and one or
more assistant trainers . A few
years ago this would not have
been possible . Preparation
for the tournament has be-
come a longer and more intensive
process, indicating
the serious attitude that the
national associations now
have regarding the development
of junior football at this
age level as well . This tournament
confirmed the domination
of African and South
American teams in junior
football . Europe staged a
comeback by getting two
teams to the semifinals, while
the other confederations currently
have a long way to go
before they can be regarded
as serious competition for the
best teams in the world .
A mixture of bad luck and poor finishing sealed the fate of the Chilean team . In the picture
playmaker Mirosevic (10) tries to create an attack against the Germans Hofmann (11) and Becker .
La malchance et l'incapacité desjoueurs au moment de conclure scellèrent l'élimination de
l'équipe chilienne . Le meneur dejeu Mirosevic (10) lance une nouvelle offensive face aux Allemands
Hofmann (11) et Becker .
Mala suerte e incapacidad goleadora sellaron el destino chileno . El orquestador de juego
Mirosevic (10) en una maniobra de ataque frente a los alemanes Hofmann (11) y Becker .
Pech und Unvermögen im Abschluss besiegelten das Ausscheiden des chilenischen Teams .
Spielmacher Mirosevic (10) baut gegen die Deutschen Hofmann (11) und Becker einen neuen
Angriff auf.
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