Canada netted three goals in each half to secure a dominant 6-0 victory over Zambia in the Round of 16 clash on Wednesday, paving the way for a quarterfinal showdown with Brazil at the FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup in Sale, Morocco.
The winner between Canada and Brazil will go up against either defending champion North Korea or 2014 titleholder Japan in the semifinals. Brazil triumphed over China with a 3-0 scoreline in their Round of 16 encounter.
Daniela Feria-Estrada bagged a brace, while Melisa Kekic, Mya Angus, Chloe Taylor, and Amy Medley each contributed a goal for Canada at the Football Academy Mohammed VI. The goals showcased impressive skills, although Kekic missed a penalty in the second half.
Canada has dominated in the tournament, outscoring opponents 18-2 across four consecutive victories among the 24 participating teams.
Canada’s best performance at the U-17 championship was a fourth-place finish in 2018, falling to Mexico in the semifinals. The team also reached the quarterfinals in 2008, 2012, and 2014.
To advance to the knockout stage, Canada topped Group D by defeating Nigeria (4-1), Samoa (6-0), and France (2-1). Zambia secured a spot in the knockout stage as one of the four best third-place finishers, trailing Japan and Paraguay in Group F.
In other Round of 16 matches on Wednesday, France caused an upset by defeating Spain in a penalty shootout, Mexico narrowly edged out Paraguay 1-0, and Japan secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Colombia.
Zambia, whose squad comprises entirely domestic players, rebounded from defeats against Paraguay (2-1) and Japan (1-0) with a strong 4-0 victory over New Zealand.
Although Zambia had energetic players, they lacked a cutting edge against Canada.
Canada Takes the Lead on Counterattack
The first half was punctuated by injury delays, with Zambia’s Nana Malanda forced off the field in the 34th minute.
Canada opened the scoring in the 13th minute on a counterattack, with Olivia Chisholm’s precise pass setting up Kekic to beat the Zambia defense and score. Feria-Estrada doubled the lead in the 30th minute from a Taylor cross, while Angus extended the lead to 3-0 with a stunning long-range strike in the 39th minute.
A penalty was awarded to Canada in the 60th minute after a challenge involving Zambian captain Mercy Chipasula, but Kekic missed the spot-kick wide of the goalpost.
Canada’s Taylor and Medley added two more goals in the 80th and 85th minutes, respectively, before Feria-Estrada sealed the 6-0 victory with a superb free kick in the 92nd minute.
Canada held a slight advantage in shots, outshooting Zambia 12-10 (9-5 in shots on target).
Canada coach Jen Herst made a single change to the starting lineup, with Feria-Estrada replacing Amireh. Canada played without suspended forward Reed Tingley, who received a red
