The Austria U-17 team secured its spot in the semi-finals of the U-17 World Cup by defeating Japan U-17 2-0 this Friday at the Aspire Zone.
2025 U17 World Cup
1-0
Match Report
The game was decided in the second half. At 49 minutes, J. Moser opened the scoring for Austria, capitalizing on a well-constructed play. The Japanese team, known for its ball possession, responded with substitutions but faced difficulties penetrating the solid Austrian defense. At 90 minutes, H. Deshihsku, who had just come on, sealed the victory with the second goal, securing Austria's qualification.
Austria demonstrated a more pragmatic approach, focused on quick transitions and set pieces, while Japan dominated possession but without the usual final clarity. The yellow card shown to I. Ndukwe, of Austria, in the 74th minute, was one of the few moments of tension in a match technically controlled by the Europeans.
With this important victory, the Austrian U-17 team advances to the semifinals of the tournament, keeping its campaign alive. The defeat eliminates Japan U-17, which leaves the competition after a respectable campaign. Austria now awaits the winner of the next match to determine its next opponent in the quest for the world title.
Line-ups
Austria U17 XI: Daniel Posch, Rafael Feldinger, Vasilije Markovic, Jakob Pokorny, Nicolas Jozepovic, Johannes Moser, Hasan Deshishku, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Luca Weinhandl, Florian Hofmann, Jakob Werner
Subs: Sergej Savic, Loris Husic, Daniel Frauscher, Paul Scharner, Emil Ganser, Kenny Nzogang, Christof Katzmayr, Filip Aleksic, Julian Halmich
Japan U17 XI: Hiroto Asada, Shota Fujii, Simon Yu Mendy, Shimon Kobayashi, Rento Noguchi, Makoto Himeno, Takeshi Wada, Ethan Scally, Asuto Fujita, Daigo Hirashima, Futa Takeno
Subs: Minato Yoshida, Taiga Seguchi, Hiroto Matsuura, Ryota Hirano, Daizen Kawamoto, Yuzuki Kobayashi, Yoshitaka Tanaka, Jelani McGhee