LAGOS, APRIL 19: Mali knocked Nigeria out of the World Youth Cup last evening while Uruguay beat three-time champions Brazil 2-1 with a controversial late penalty on a day when another match was halted by a powercut.Japan produced a further surprise by eliminating Mexico 2-0 and Spain's dramatic 8-7 win on penalties over Ghana left one team each from Africa, South America, Europe and Asia to contest the semifinals.The Nigerian hosts, already in shock after their team's elimination in the afternoon, were left red-faced after a power failure interrupted a match for the second time.The Spain-Ghana game stopped for 10 minutes shortly before half-time in Kaduna after the stadium was plunged into darkness. A similar incident occurred in the first round tie between Ireland and Mexico when Fifa president Sepp Blatter was in the crowd.Nigeria's absence from the tournament is likely to result in the remaining matches being played in near-empty stadia.The Nigerian game with Mali in Enugu was not shownlive in Lagos to encourage local fans to go to the Brazil-Uruguay match played there at the same time. However, the ploy was ineffective and only a few thousand fans attended.Mali, the surprise package of the tournament, stunned Nigeria when Mamadou Bagayoko scored after just 58 seconds for the fastest goal of the tournament. But Nigeria, who sacked coach Tunde Disu after losing a first-round game to Paraguay, hit back through Garba Hashimu.Nigeria then dominated much of game but their traditional weakness in front of the goal cost them dearly as Mamadou Diarra and Bagayoko, with his second goal, sent Mali through.Brazil appeared set to steamroller Uruguay when Fernando Baiano put them ahead with a 27th-minute goal. The Brazilians were dominating and playing some of the best football of the event but they missed several chances to increase their lead.They were then punished when Jorge Anchen equalised just before half-time with a powerful shot from long range.The tournament was then deprived ofits most entertaining team when Uruguay captain Cesar Pellegrin fell theatrically in the 86th minute and a penalty was awarded amid furious Brazilian protests.Substitute Nestor Canobbio converted to earn Uruguay a semifinal with Japan.In Ibadan, Japan stunned Mexico with two goals in the first 25 minutes from Masashi Motoyama and captain Shinji Ono. The Mexicans, 4-1 conquerors of defending champions Argentina in the previous round, played without inspiration and never looked like scoring.Spain's game in Kaduna went to penalties after Ghana's peter Ofori-Quayle scored his fourth goal of the competition with a dramatic deflected shot in the last minute. This equalised Saludes Barkero's penalty in the 53rd minute.Spain's shoot-out victory earned them a semifinal clash with Mali in the same city tomorrow.
