Senegal sweep aside Poland at the U17 FIFA World Cup to reach closer to last 16

* Other African representatives are Mali, Burkina Faso and Morocco

* On Friday Mali beat Uzbekistan 3-0 while Morocco earned a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Panama

* And on Sunday, Burkina Faso began their campaign with a spirited display despite losing 3-0 to France

Maravi Express

Idrissa Gueye grabbed a superb hat-trick as Senegal swept aside Poland 4-1 to close in on a last-16 spot at the U17 FIFA World Cup in Indonesia on Tuesday.

A report by CAFonline said the midfielder struck twice before half-time after an 18th-minute opener, with Dominik Szala’s own goal making it 2-0 in the Group D game at the Jalak Harupat Stadium.

Gueye completed his treble after the break to put Senegal on the brink of the knockouts while Marcel Regula pulled one back for Poland, who remain pointless after two matches.

Senegal dominated and were unfortunate to see their momentum halted when lightning forced a delay just after the half-hour mark — but Gueye picked up where he left off, adding two more following his early close-range finish to put the game beyond Poland.

The hat-trick hero and his teammates can seal progress in their final group match against Ecuador and for Poland, elimination is looming after a dismal defence of their place at the finals.

Gueye was unstoppable, while Ismaila Sarr and Boulaye Dia also impressed for stylish Senegal, who have Japan in their final group game on Friday.

Africa is being represented FIFA U-17 World Cup by Mali, Burkina Faso, Morocco and the African U-17 champions, Senegal.

On Friday, a Mamadou Doumbia hat-trick propelled Mali to an emphatic 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan while Morocco earned a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Panama in their opening matches.

And on Sunday, Burkina Faso began their campaign with a spirited display despite losing 3-0 to France in what CAFonline described as an entertaining match in Jakarta.

The four qualified for the U-17 World Cup after they qualified for the semifinals of the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria and by winning the title, Senegal marked a significant milestone for the country’s international football status coming on the heels of senior team, Lions of Teranga’s 2021 AFCON title triumph — which they are set to defend in Côte d’Ivoire from January

The Lions of Teranga’s 2021 AFCON title triumph also marked as their first-ever AFCON title they attained in Cameroun whey they won all matches except against Malawi in the group stages that ended 0-0.

Senegal’s Under-20 also clinched their first-ever U-20 AFCON title when they beat their neighbours The Gambia 2-0 in March to add to the country’s fairytale run in CAF competitions in a year.

The Under-17 also added more glory to their nation by winning the 2022 AFCON U-17 in Algeria that also earned them 3 additional accolades — Fair Play award, third Man of the Match (by teenage sensation Lamine Camara) and Best Goalkeeper Award(Pape Mamadou Sy).

Senegal are also AFCON Beach Soccer champions and will represent Africa at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024™ grouped with  Colombia, Belarus and Japan in Group C.