Elijah Roche scored in the 88th minute and Marius Aiyenero converted a stoppage-time penalty as Canada cruised to a Houdini-like 2-1 victory over Uganda on Wednesday for its first victory in nine trips to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
James Bogere’s 25th-minute goal seemed to give Uganda something to celebrate in their first appearance at a FIFA tournament. But Roche, who minutes earlier had made a goal-saving tackle at the other end, rose high to head home an Aghilas Sadek corner to put Canada out even in the final minutes in Doha, Qatar.
Then, after video review, Uganda’s John Asiimwe was deemed to have brought down Aiyenero in the penalty area. The substitute, who plays for Los Angeles FC 2, beat Ugandan goalkeeper Gilbert Mazige with the penalty that scored the winning goal in the 98th minute.
The Canadians improved to 1-20-4 in the under-17 tournament. Canada, which hosted the event in 1987, has been outscored 71-13 in those 25 games (one of its goals was an own goal by Argentina).
“Tonight is a proud moment for our program,” said Canada head coach Mike Vitulano. “We wanted to set a new benchmark for generations to come and that’s what we did.
“The boys showed incredible character by coming back, fighting back and finding a way to win late. It’s a testament to their faith and togetherness. We will enjoy this moment, but we are an ambitious group and our focus quickly shifts to preparing for the next game.”
The Canadians continue play in Group K against France on Saturday before facing Chile next Tuesday. France blanked Chile 2-0 on Wednesday.
France won the U-17 title in 2001, was runner-up last time in 2023 and finished third in 2019. Chile finished third in 1993.
Canada had a lot of ball on Wednesday, but lacked teeth up front, while Uganda was always dangerous on the counterattack. And when Canada fired on goal, Mazige was equal to the challenge until Roche, a defender from Toronto FC’s reserve team, came to the rescue.
Uganda, which outshot Canada 13-19 (6-6 in shots on goal), tired as the clock ran out and Canada took the lead.
The expanded 48-team, 104-game tournament will run through Nov. 27 on eight courts at the Aspire Zone complex. The final will take place at the Khalifa International Stadium, which is also located on the Aspire Zone site.
Uganda had better scoring opportunities
The other newcomers to the tournament are El Salvador, Fiji, Ireland and Zambia.
While Canada had more possession of the ball with 58 percent possession in the first half, Uganda had the better chances.
Uganda had been threatening on the counterattack and Bogere scored in the first half, eluding Roche before calmly placing the ball just inside the post, past the outstretched leg of Canadian goalkeeper Jonathan Ransom. Brian Jjara set up the play with a precise pass.
Bogere had a chance to double the lead in the 83rd minute, but Roche denied him at the last moment.
Eight of the 11 Canadian starters are working their way through the MLS club ranks, three with Toronto FC and one each with CF Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Two are in the lower categories of English clubs (Leicester City and Fulham) and one from the Netherlands (Feyenoord).
All of Uganda’s starters belong to national clubs.
Uganda appeared to have taken the lead in the seventh minute on a quick counterattack when Bogere’s shot was deflected by Ransom towards Elvis Torach, who headed the ball.
But Torach was called for offside, disallowing the goal.
Bogere, after a great run from captain Richard Okello, came close in the 21st minute but a diving Ransom managed to intercept his shot and push it wide of the post to safety.
Lost request
Uganda outshot Canada 7-4 (with shots on goal tied 3-3) in the first half.
Uganda called for a penalty when Bogere fell into a tangle with Canada captain Richard Chukwu. Ukrainian referee Oleksii Derevinskyi went to the field monitor to review the play, but ruled that there was no foul.
The tournament’s video support system allows coaches two requests per game for a video review. If the referee’s review results in the original decision being changed, the team retains its request.
The system served Canada well in injury time.
Canadian Kevin Khan had to go off injured in the 72nd minute.
Ahead of the tournament, Aiyenero, Antone Bossenberry and Sasha Cernic were added to the roster and Andre Ali-Gayapersad, Owen Graham-Roache and Stefan Kapor withdrew due to injury.
The young Canadians booked their ticket to the World Cup in February, topping their five-team qualifying group (which included host Bermuda, Anguilla, Curacao and Turks and Caicos) with a perfect 4-0-0 record. They outscored their rivals 28-2 and both goals were conceded from the penalty spot.
Canada Soccer doubled its budget for youth programs this year, allowing coach Mike Vitulano more time with his team.
Uganda qualified by defeating Gambia 2-1 in an April playoff after finishing third in their group at the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. The top two teams in each of the four groups booked their ticket to Qatar and the four third-placed teams will meet in a playoff to decide the bottom two qualifiers.
The Spanish Pedri, the Brazilians Neymar and Alisson Becker, the Englishman Phil Foden and the South Korean Son Heung-min are among the world stars who have participated in the U-17 World Cup.
