Mali, Nigeria in FIFA U-17 semis

Defending champions Nigeria and Mali last Sunday qualified for the semi-final of the FIFA Male Under-17 World Championship after decisive wins in their respective quarter-final matches.

Nigeria dismissed Brazil with a 3-0 win, while Mali maintained their impressive defensive record to progress 1-0 against Croatia despite a tightly-contested quarter-final game.

Three goals in five first-half minutes undid a positive start for Brazil, sending a stunned A Seleção home. Victor Osimhen, with his eighth goal in five games, Kingsley Michael and Udochukwu Anumudu hit the quickfire treble for the African side, with the rest of the game a mere procession for the four-time champions as they secured their passage to the final four.