UEFA

Problems with the youngest

Never before have the European teams done so poorly at a U-17 World Championship. By the skin of their teeth Portugal managed to get into the quarter finals, but there they had no chance against the eventual new champions. A sign of uncertainty in the Portuguese camp was the fact that the team was changed around after every match. For a long time Spain looked likely to earn a place in the quarter finals, but individual errors cost them their chance of being the second European team to progress into the next round. A weakness in collective play, usually one of their strong points, was the main cause of their early exit. Germany disappointed yet again. As had happened at the U-20 World Championship earlier in the year (though that team was missing a number of key players), the traditional German strengths were not apparent. The decisive game against Oman did not run their way and they ended up being rolled over by the surprising Arabian team.