Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt’s Under-17 national football team suffered a 3–0 defeat to England in their final group-stage match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar on Monday. Despite the loss, the young Pharaohs secured qualification to the Round of 32 after finishing third in Group E with four points.
England dominated much of the encounter, with Regan Heskey son of former England international Emile Heskey netting twice, while Mainz added a third late in the match. The result left Egypt on four points, behind group leaders Venezuela and second-placed England, both on seven points, while Haiti finished bottom without a point.
Egypt’s early plans were disrupted when defender Adham Farid suffered an injury in the 12th minute, forcing head coach Ahmed El-Kass to bring on Abdelaziz El-Zoghbi as an early substitute. Just two minutes later, England opened the scoring through Heskey, who capitalized on a defensive lapse.
Egypt had a few promising moments and even believed they had earned a penalty midway through the first half after an English defender appeared to push a Pharaohs player in the box. However, following a VAR review requested via FIFA’s new “challenge card” system the referee ruled no foul had occurred.
In first-half stoppage time, Egypt thought they had equalized when Hamza El-Degwy followed up a free kick parried by the English goalkeeper, but the assistant referee raised the flag for offside, and a second challenge card appeal by Egypt was dismissed. The first half ended 1–0 to England.
Heskey doubled England’s lead in the 55th minute, showing clinical finishing inside the box. Egyptian goalkeeper Omar Abdelaziz later denied Heskey a hat-trick by saving a penalty in the 64th minute, but Mainz sealed the result in the 89th minute with a well-placed shot to make it 3–0.
Egypt’s starting lineup featured Omar Abdelaziz in goal; Noor Ashraf, Hamza El-Degwy, Adham Farid, and Mohannad El-Shami in defense; Omar Kamal, Basel Medhat, Anas Roshdy, and Belal Attia in midfield; with Ibrahim El-Nag’awy and Hamza Abdelkarim leading the attack.
Despite the setback, Egypt’s earlier win and draw in the group ensured their progression to the knockout stage, where they will aim to regroup and regain momentum. The match was broadcast live on beIN Sports and Al Kass channels at 5:45 p.m. Cairo time.
With a resilient defensive core and flashes of attacking promise, Egypt’s U-17s now face a tougher challenge as they prepare for the Round of 32, hoping to continue their World Cup journey and make a deeper run in the tournament.
