‘Golden glove is recognition of my work’

New Delhi: Mali’s best efforts notwithstanding – 27 shots, ten on target – they were unable to get on the scoresheet in Kolkata on Saturday. While the African champions had some bad luck besides wayward finishing, there was another factor in their 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the third place play-off of the Fifa U-17 World Cup India 2017: goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao. 

The young custodian kept Mali’s attackers at bay with a string of impressive saves, as he did against forwards of other teams. His efforts were rewarded with a bronze medal, and by the adidas Golden Glove award for the competition’s best goalkeeper. 

“Winning this award means that my work has been recognised,” Brazao told fifa.com with pride, after a match in which he recorded as many seven crucial stops. “In a way, I think I’ve done enough to deserve it.” 

In all, he had 29 saves in seven games for Brazil, which went a long way to helping Brazil finish third. “We weren’t able to win the tournament, but we’re among the three best teams in the world at this level, and that’s huge, not just for the players, but also for Brazilian football as a whole,” said the Cruzeiro goalkeeper. 

In fact, Brazil had not clinched a top-three finish at a U-17 World Cup since 2005, when they lost to Mexico in the final.