FIFA Under-17 World Cup: Burkina Faso & Iran Reach Knockout Stage

Burkina Faso and Iran have advanced to the round 16 at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria after the matches in Groups C and D on Saturday concluded.

Burkina Faso cruised past Costa Rica 4-1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu with their final goal coming from the youngest player at this tournament, 14-year-old Bertrand Traore.

The victory thus saw them finish second behind Turkey in Group D with four points from three matches. Turkey maintained group leadership after they were forced to a 1-1 draw by New Zealand in Calabar.

The Turks recorded seven points while New Zealand finished on three points and will have to wait till after Sunday's final group games to know whether they advance as one of four third best losers.

In Group C, Asian champions Iran defeated the Netherlands 1-0 to win the section on seven points, while Colombia finished second on five points after they fought back to hold African champions Gambia to a 2-2 draw.

The Dutch placed third on three points and will have to wait till after Sunday's matches to know whether they have done enough to reach the round of 16. Gambia, on the other hand, finished bottom of the group with a single point.

On Sunday, final matches will be played in Group E and F to determine the final qualifiers for the round of 16.

Already, hosts Nigeria, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Iran, Colombia, Turkey, Burkina Faso, Spain, Italy and Germany have booked their places in the next round.

Samm Audu, Goal.com