Canadian men rally against Uganda to earn 1st-ever FIFA U17 World Cup victory

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Nov 05, 2025 1:44 PM EST | Last Updated: November 5

Elijah Roche scored successful the 88th infinitesimal and Marius Aiyenero converted a punishment successful stoppage clip arsenic Canada pulled disconnected a Houdini-like 2-1 triumph implicit Uganda connected Wednesday for its first-ever triumph successful 9 trips to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

James Bogere's 25th-minute extremity had looked to springiness Uganda thing to observe successful its first-ever quality astatine a FIFA tournament. But Roche, who minutes earlier had made a goal-saving tackle astatine the different end, roseate precocious to caput location Aghilas Sadek's country to propulsion Canada adjacent successful the dying minutes successful Doha, Qatar.

Then, aft video review, Uganda's John Asiimwe was judged to person taken Aiyenero down successful the punishment box. The substitute, who plays his nine shot for Los Angeles FC 2, bushed Uganda 'keeper Gilbert Mazige with the spot footwear for the victor successful the 98th minute.

The Canadian men improved to 1-20-4 astatine the under-17 tournament. Canada, which hosted the lawsuit successful 1987, has been outscored 71-13 successful those 25 games (with 1 of its goals an Argentine ain goal).

"Tonight is simply a arrogant infinitesimal for our program," said Canada caput manager Mike Vitulano. "We wanted to acceptable a caller benchmark for the generations to travel and did conscionable that.

"The boys showed unthinkable quality to travel from behind, combat their mode backmost and find a mode to triumph late. It's a testament to their content and togetherness. We'll bask this moment, but we're an ambitious radical and our absorption rapidly shifts to preparing for the adjacent match."

The Canadians proceed Group K play against France connected Saturday earlier facing Chile adjacent Tuesday. France blanked Chile 2-0- connected Wednesday.

France won the U-17 rubric successful 2001, was runner-up past clip retired successful 2023 and finished 3rd successful 2019. Chile finished 3rd successful 1993.

Canada had plentifulness of the shot Wednesday but lacked teeth up beforehand portion Uganda was ever unsafe connected the counterattack. And erstwhile Canada did enactment a changeable connected target, Mazige was up to the situation until Roche, a defender with the Toronto FC reserve side, came to the rescue.

Uganda, which outshot Canada 13-19 (6-6 successful shots connected target), bushed arsenic the timepiece coiled down and Canada took advantage.

The expanded 48-team, 104-game tourney runs done Nov. 27 crossed 8 pitches astatine the Aspire Zone complex. The last volition beryllium staged astatine Khalifa International Stadium, which is besides connected the Aspire Zone site.

Uganda had amended scoring chances

The different tourney debutantes are El Salvador, Fiji, Ireland and Zambia.

While Canada had much of the shot with 58 per cent possession successful the archetypal half, Uganda had the amended chances.

Uganda had been threatening connected the counterattack and Bogere made 1 number successful the archetypal half, eluding Roche earlier calmly slotting the shot conscionable wrong the station past the outstretched limb of Canadian goalkeeper Jonathan Ransom. Brian Jjara acceptable up the play with an close done ball.

Bogere had a accidental to treble the pb successful the 83rd infinitesimal but was denied by a last-ditch situation from Roche.

Eight of the Canadian starting 11 are moving their mode done the ranks astatine MLS clubs, 3 with Toronto FC and 1 each from CF Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Two are successful the younker strategy of English clubs (Leicester City and Fulham) and 1 from the Netherlands (Feyenoord).

All of the Uganda starters are with home clubs.

Uganda looked to person gone up successful the seventh infinitesimal connected a rapid-fire counterattack erstwhile Bogere's changeable was deflected by Ransom into the way of Elvis Torach, who headed the shot home.

But Torach was ruled offside, nullifying the goal.

Bogere, aft a storming tally by skipper Richard Okello, came adjacent successful the 21st infinitesimal but a diving Ransom got a manus to his shot, pushing it disconnected the goalpost to safety.

Missed request

Uganda outshot Canada 7-4 (with shots connected people tied astatine 3-3) successful the archetypal half.

Uganda called for a punishment erstwhile Bogere went down successful a tangle with Canada skipper Richard Chukwu. Ukraine referee Oleksii Derevinskyi went to the pitchside show to reappraisal the play but ruled determination was nary foul.

The tournament's video enactment strategy allows coaches 2 requests per crippled for a video review. If the reappraisal by the referee results successful the archetypal determination being changed, the squad retains its request.

The strategy served Canada good successful stoppage time.

Canada's Kevin Khan had to travel disconnected with an wounded successful the 72nd minute.

Ahead of the tournament, Aiyenero, Antone Bossenberry, and Sasha Cernic were added to the roster with Andre Ali-Gayapersad, Owen Graham-Roache and Stefan Kapor withdrawing done injury.

The young Canadians booked their summons to the World Cup successful February, topping their five-team qualifying radical -- featuring big Bermuda, Anguilla, Curacao and Turks and Caicos -- with a cleanable 4-0-0 record. They outscored their absorption 28-2 with some goals conceded coming from the punishment spot.

Canada Soccer doubled its younker programme fund this year, allowing manager Mike Vitulano to person much clip with his team.

Uganda qualified by defeating Gambia 2-1 successful an April playoff aft finishing 3rd successful its radical astatine the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. The apical 2 teams successful each of the 4 groups booked their summons to Qatar with the 4 third-place finishers gathering successful a playoff to determine the last 2 qualifiers.

Spain's Pedri, Brazil's Neymar and Alisson Becker, England's Phil Foden and South Korea's Son Heung-min are among the satellite stars who person taken portion successful the U-17 World Cup.