Doha: In a tightly contested match at Aspire's Mansour Muftah Stadium, the Qatar U17 national team, the Young Maroons, shared the points with South Africa in a 1-1 draw. This Group A encounter was part of the second round of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, a tournament running until November 27.

The Young Maroons opened the scoring early, with Yazan Hani finishing a decisive pass inside the penalty area in the third minute. The Qatari side nearly doubled their lead shortly after, but the South African defense cleared the danger in the 14th minute. However, Emil Witbooi capitalized on a long ball into the box, heading in the equalizer for South Africa in the 16th minute.

Following this draw, the Italian squad retains its position at the top of the group standings with six points, thanks to a 4-0 win over Bolivia. South Africa sits in second with four points, Qatar holds one point, and Bolivia has yet to earn a point. This result preserves the Young Maroons' chances of progressing to the knockout stage, which will depend on their final match against Bolivia and the outcome of the Italy-South Africa game.

The Qatari team displayed a strong and balanced performance, creating numerous chances. Zaid Faisal had a prime opportunity to put his team ahead again in the 39th minute, but his effort was met with an exceptional save from South African goalkeeper Radibe. The first half concluded with the teams level.

After the break, the Qatari team maintained its composure, with Spanish coach Álvaro Mejía emphasizing solid defensive structure and rapid counter-attacks. He introduced midfield changes, bringing on Issa Waleed to enhance the team's offensive thrust. In the 53rd minute, Tameem Al-Qadi was denied a go-ahead goal by another brilliant save from the South African keeper. Substitute Issa Waleed came agonizingly close to a winner with a powerful left-footed shot in the 82nd minute, but it flew over the bar. The 1-1 scoreline held until the final whistle.

The tournament format sees the top two finishers from each of the twelve groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the Round of 32.