Late goals by Mali’s Ibrahim Diara and France’s Asmail Bouneb set a semifinal date for these two nations to battle it out for a place in the final of the FIFA (Federation of International Football Association) Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia.

Sunday | November 26, 2023

The all riveting FIFA Under-17 World Cup reaches the penultimate stage in Indonesia.

Mali, the only African country remaining in the juveniles tournament, faces a tall hurdle against France in the semifinals at Stadion Manahan in Surakarta on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 at 14h00.

The Malian narrowly defeated Morocco by a single goal, thanks to Ibrahim Diara’s 81st minute strike at this stadium on Saturday afternoon.

On the other hand, the French saw off Uzbekistan by the same lean margin at the same stadium in the morning. Asmail Bouneb dimmed the opponents’ world cup lights in the 83rd minute, just a few minutes before the last whistle.

In the other semifinal, Argentina will face Germany at Stadion Manahan on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 at 10h30.

The losers of this double-header semifinal will fight it out for the 3rd- and 4th-place on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at 14h00 at Stadion Manahan in Surakarta.

Ultimately, this very stadium is the one that will host the final match on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 at 14h00.