Fanari's golden goal takes Argentina into semifinals

MARABELLA (TRINIDAD), SEPT. 25. Argentina defeated Mali, 2-1, with a golden goal in sudden-death overtime and Burkina Faso beat Costa Rica, 2-0, both advancing to the semifinals of the FIFA under-17 World football championship.

Burkina Faso's victory on Monday means it will play Nigeria on Thursday. Argentina plays France the same day.

Substitute Mauro Fanari was Argentina's hero, scoring the golden goal in the sixth minute of sudden-death overtime.

``I haven't had the chance to play for most of the tournament, and today it was just my luck to have the winning goal,'' Fanari said after the game.

In the first half, a penalty was called in the 32nd minute when Argentine striker Maximiliano Lopez was brought down in the goal area by Mali captain Daouda Bagayoko. Lopez missed the penalty however, with a low shot to the right that caught the post, bounced back and was cleared by Mali's defenders.

In the 35th minute, Mali opened the scoring when striker Drissa Diarra headed in a high cross.

Argentina answered in the 38th, when Lucas Correa served up a free kick to Gonzalo Rodriguez, who ran in toward the goal and connected with a header to tie the game.

In the 74th minute, Lassana Diallo was ejected from the game, receiving his second yellow card for a foul.

Regulation time ended in a tie, forcing the teams to go to sudden death overtime. But Mali didn't last long.

Fanari, put on as a substitute near the end of the regulation time, chased down a loose ball in the goal area. With the goalkeeper out of position, he slammed the ball into the open nets in the sixth minute of the overtime to give Argentina the victory.

The first half between Burkina Faso and Costa Rica was uneventful, with most of the game being fought out at the midfield. However, in the second half, the Africans outran and outplayed Costa Rica.

The work finally paid off in the 54th minute, when striker Paul Gorogo took control of a ball being fought over in the goal area and shot past goalkeeper Marco Herrera for Burkina Faso's first goal.

Speedy Wilfried Sanou sealed the Africans' victory with a powerful shot just outside the penalty area in the 84th minute sending the ball into a high corner, out of Herrera's reach.

Both games were played at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella in southern Trinidad.

- AP

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Section  : Sport
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