Nigeria and Mali have set up an all-African final at the Under-17 World Cup in Chile after winning their semi-finals.
Reigning champions Nigeria won 4-2 against Mexico, coming back from conceding the opener and then pulling away again after Mexico made it 2-2.
Mali also fought back from a goal down to earn a 3-1 victory over Belgium.
The African sides will go head-to-head for the trophy on Sunday at the Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar.
While Nigeria have booked their place in the final for the eighth time in 11 attempts, Mali’s teenagers are the first team at any age group from their country to reach a Fifa final.
They earned their place by responding superbly after falling behind to an early goal by Belgium’s Dante Rigo, hitting back with strikes by Boubacar Traore, Sidiki Maiga and Sekou Koita.
Mali won the African Under-17 championship in March and managed to avoid Nigeria on the way. The countries were on the opposite sides of the draw and after Nigeria lost to South Africa in the semifinals — Mali beat Guinea — they did not have a chance to size each other up.
However, on the evidence of the Under-17 World Cup, they appear fairly evenly matched going into Sunday’s final. Both came from behind to win their semifinals — Nigeria had to do it twice against a spirited Mexican side to win 4-2 — and both made sure they kept attacking after taking the lead, which should make for a frenzied final.
Match Time: 19:00 local time (11pm Nigerian time) on Sunday, 8 November.
Venue: Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar
Prediction: Nigeria 3-1 Mali
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