South Africa Under-15s fight back to beat France at World Cup

South Africa’s Under-15 Boys National Team recovered from surrendering a two-goal lead to defeat France 3-2 in their final group match at the inaugural FIFA Under-15 Boys World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.

The victory lifted South Africa into second place in Group A on 10 points – level with France but ahead on goal difference. Estonia won the group with 11 points.

South Africa appeared in control after building a 2-0 advantage, but France were awarded two penalties and converted both to bring the match level. The young South Africans responded strongly, scoring again in the closing minutes to claim a dramatic victory.

The result sends South Africa into Tier B for the Tournament phase, where they will face the other teams that finished second in their respective groups. They are expected to play four to five more matches, with their final position to be decided through positional play-offs.

Coach Mogale said the team’s performance reflected both detailed preparation and composure in possession.

“The chances we created, we really worked hard for our goals and you could see even our arrogance on the ball keeping the ball, rotating the ball, even our structure you could see how dominant we were and we had done our homework on them and we felt like it was a good game and it’s been a test of tactical discipline as well as our technical ability and also showing that we can play on the world stage,” he told SAFA Media.

Mogale said the tactical plan had been carefully designed to put France under pressure high up the pitch and limit the influence of their main playmaker.

South Africa’s five-match group campaign produced three wins, one draw and one defeat. Despite reaching the next stage, Mogale acknowledged that dropped points had prevented his side from finishing top of the section.

The competition resumes on Wednesday following a rest day on Tuesday. South Africa will begin the last 32 of Tier B, with matches level after full-time to be settled by penalty shootouts rather than extra time.