Nigeria draw; Argentina, Mexico win

Two of the favourites for the Fifa U17 World Cup crown, Mexico and Argentina, gave clear statements of their intent in recording their first victories in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
Defending champions Mexico made amends for their heavy opening defeat against Nigeria, while Argentina moved top of their group following a draw on opening day.

The Nigerians, tipped by many to go all the way, may not have been as ruthless as they were previously, but they still showed their considerable firepower in a frenetic encounter with Sweden. The Europeans were twice in front during the match, but they had to settle for a point come the final whistle.
Shaqran, the tournament mascot, was not the only one to have an aerial view of proceedings in Al Ain during Mexico’s victory over Iraq. Somewhat surprisingly, a solitary man appeared at the summit of a mountain behind one of the stands in the first half at the Khalifa Bin Zayed stadium, enjoying a unique view of the match and witnessing from afar as Alejandro Diaz, Jose Almanza and Ulises Rivas fired Mexico to victory. Despite his vantage point, he was no doubt still unable to rival the famous Hawkeye technology used in various sports.
Canada went into their match with Iran in search of a win that would bring an end to a pair of unfavourable records. However, as against Austria in their opening fixture, the Canucks were held to a draw, their fourth consecutive stalemate at a U-17 World Cup - a run never before witnessed in the tournament’s history. It also extended the side’s win-less streak at the competition to 17 games, something only equalled in Fifa tournaments by Bulgaria (at Fifa World Cups™) and England (at Fifa U-20 World Cups).