Russia's U-15 youth team lost to Mexico 2-3 in the 1/16 finals of the play-off for level A of the FIFA tournament in Azerbaijan. The match was played in Govsan, and the Russian team was eliminated from the title race without leaving the competition.
Mexico took the lead in the 24th minute, and four minutes later increased its lead to 2-0 after a rebound. Russia responded quickly. Arsen Bestaev reduced the score in the 30th minute with a shot from a sharp angle, and Matvey Rodionov equalized in the 35th minute after a pass from the flank.
The decisive goal came in the 39th minute. The Mexicans organized an attack with a deep pass, after which they sent the ball into the empty Russian goal. The match ended 3:2 for Mexico.
Russia will play in the 1/8 finals of the play-off for places from 17th to 32nd. The opponent and the starting time of the next match are not specified in the announcement for the match with Mexico.
Before the defeat, the Russians had five wins in the group stage and a goal difference of 44:1. They defeated Sudan 12-0, Sierra Leone 7-0, Djibouti 13-0, Afghanistan 8-0 and Turkey 4-1.
The tournament in Azerbaijan is the first official FIFA competition with the participation of a Russian team since 2022. It features 189 teams, and the matches are held in an 8-on-8 format, with two halves of 20 minutes each. After the group stage, the teams are divided into six playoff tiers, with each tier determining its own winner.
Before the match against Mexico, coach Denis Pervushin said: “We came not for a festival, but for a tournament.“ After the loss, Russia no longer has a chance to win tier A, but remains in the race for the final ranking at the bottom of the table.
Sources: rbc.ru, rfs.ru, fifa.com