Italy secured its best-ever finish in the Under-17 World Cup on Thursday, defeating Brazil in a dramatic penalty shootout for third place. The match ended 0-0 in regular time at the Aspire Zone Sports Complex in Doha, Qatar.
Italy ultimately won the shootout 4-2, marking a historic achievement for their squad. This performance surpasses the team’s previous best, a fourth-place finish 38 years ago in 1987.
Brazil played most of the match with 10 players after central defender Vítor Fernandes received a second yellow card just 14 minutes into the first half. He had been booked initially at the six-minute mark.
Despite the disadvantage, Brazil managed to hold Italy scoreless through 90 minutes, forcing the game into penalties.
Italian goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni was a key player in the shootout, saving attempts from Brazil’s Luís Felipe and Luís Eduardo. On the Italian side, Andrea Luongo’s penalty was saved by Brazilian goalkeeper João Pedro, but it was not enough to prevent Italy’s victory.
Brazil had a mixed record in penalty shootouts throughout the tournament. They had won two earlier shootouts, defeating Paraguay 5-4 (after a 0-0 draw) and France 4-3 (after a 1-1 draw). However, they lost to Portugal 6-5 on penalties in the semi-finals (following a 0-0 draw) before their loss to Italy for third place.