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U-17 Semifinal: Gutiérrez backs Mexico to beat Eaglets

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In from Nifemi Daniel . . .

Raúl Gutiérrez, former coach of the Mexico Under-17 team has tipped his country current squad to beat Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets when both teams battle in the semifinal of the on-going FIFA U-17 World Cup on Thursday in Chile.

The Mexicans, who lost the trophy two years ago to Nigeria, qualified for the semifinal after beating Ecuador 2-0 on Monday night.

Goals from Claudio Zamudio in the 41st minute and a second from Bryan Salazar from the spot in the 55th minute gave the two-time champions an opportunity to avenge that defeat.

“Sure we can beat them, every game is different and safe for our team will be different than the other generations, I think Mexico can have a good result on Thursday,” Gutiérrez told mediotiempo.com

Mexico lost twice to Nigeria two years ago starting with a 5-1 loss in a group game before the Eaglets thrashed the North Americans 3-0 in the final but Gutiérrez believes his country will seek a revenge on Thursday.

“In football nothing is written, everyone already knows that the game will be complex, we will face an opponent with a winning record, but you must play the game, the matches are defined on the field and have to think that way, ” added Gutiérrez who led Mexico to win the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Gutiérrez concluded by saying the eventual winner of the tie between Nigeria and Mexico has a strong chance to lift the Cup.

The Golden Eaglets qualified for the semi-final, on Sunday beating Brazil 3-0, with goals from Victor Osimhen, Kingsley Michael and Udochukwu Anumudu, all within five minutes in the first half.

Meanwhile, African champions Mali will play Belgium in the second semifinal of the competition.

The Belgians reached the semi-finals in just their second appearance at the tournament after a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in Concepcion.

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