By our man in Doha
AL RAYYAN, QATAR — The pristine pitches of the Aspire Zone in Al Rayyan became the stage for a sensational World Cup upset yesterday as the reigning U-17 champions, Germany, were dumped out of the tournament following a shock 0-1 defeat to a determined Burkina Faso side.
In a result that will send tremors through the German football academy system, the young Die Mannschaft fell to an early goal on the training complex’s immaculate Pitch 2 – Ibrahim Khalfan, and could not recover.
The match, played under the searing Qatari sun, was a bruising Round of 32 encounter.
Burkina Faso, known as the ‘Little Stallions’, delivered a masterclass in resilient defending, suffocating the German attack and proving that flair and fight can overcome pedigree and pressure.
The decisive blow came early, with an expertly taken goal that left the German goalkeeper no chance. From that point on, the match became a desperate siege by the Germans against a rock-solid African defence, rooted to the very turf of the Aspire Zone pitch.
The famous facility, known globally as a beacon of sporting excellence and development, was supposed to be a launching pad for the German youngsters to defend their title. Instead, it turned into a graveyard for their hopes.
The European giants piled on the pressure in the second half, with multiple shots narrowly missing the mark, but they simply could not find a way past the inspirational Burkina Faso keeper.
The final whistle confirmed the monumental upset, sending the underdog African nation into raptures and marking an early, humiliating exit for the much-fancied Germans in Al Rayyan.
The meticulously managed surface of Pitch 2 now stands as the spot where German U-17 dreams turned to dust.
