(MENAFN- Arab Times) Mali and Uruguay battled to a draw Saturday to ensure both joined Portugal, Serbia and Colombia in the final 16 of the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in New Zealand. As Groups C and D wrapped up pool play, Mali and Uruguay drew 1-1 to finish second equal in Group D with identical points and goal tallies for both to qualify.
After a drawing of lots to separate the two, Uruguay were awarded second place with Mali going through as one of the best third-placed teams.
Uruguay scored through a delicate first half goal by Franco Acosta who, with his back to the net, deflected the ball past the goalkeeper.
Mali levelled just before the break with an Adama Traore free-kick that found the bottom corner of the net and set up an uneventful second half with both sides playing not to lose rather than to win.
All four sides in Group D had started the final pool round locked on three points with Serbia coming through with a 2-0 win over Mexico to earn top spot and send the Central Americans home.
Nemanja Maksimovic put the Europeans 1-0 ahead in the second minute and Andrija Zivkovic added a stunning free-kick just before half-time.
Colombia, who lost to Portugal 3-1 in Group C, sneaked into the last 16 on goal difference ahead of Senegal who have a nerve-wracking wait to see if they too will be among the best third-placed teams.
Portugal finished comprehensive winners of the group, scoring 10 goals and conceding only the one to Colombia.
Nuno Santos gave Portugal the lead in the third minute with a superb free-kick that curled around the wall and crashed high into the Colombian net.
Andre Silva put Portugal 3-0 up with two second half goals. The first from a penalty and he headed home a Santos cross for the second.
With Colombia's future participation hanging by a thread, Santos Barrera found the net with a crucial 74th minute goal that gave them second place in their pool with four points and a -1 differential.
Senegal, also finished with four points but their 2-1 win over Qatar meant they finished third with a -2 goal difference and an anxious wait until the end of pool play on Sunday to see if they will make the Round of 16.
Senegal's poor goal difference confirmed hosts New Zealand will make the knockout phase from Group A as one of the best third-placed sides.
Maiden wins for New Zealand and Fiji in the under-20 World Cup can only be good for Oceania soccer in the long-term, according to New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley.
The Junior All Whites scored their first win at the bi-annual tournament when they hammered Asian debutants Myanmar 5-1 in Wellington on Friday, a little more than 24 hours after Fiji upset Honduras 3-0.
Both sides can still advance to the knockout round of 16, with New Zealand looking to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams and Fiji hoping to finish second in Group F if they beat Uzbekistan on Sunday.
"Massive congratulations to Fiji. That is an " inspiring story," Bazeley told reporters on Friday after his side's first victory in the tournament.
"It's brilliant for Oceania. It's a big bonus for the area to have some wins from the confederation at the World Cup.
"Hopefully the area is going stronger and stronger and we will be qualifying for the senior World Cups."
The two wins will do no harm for FIFA's weakest confederation in its bid for more top-class opportunities for their senior sides, while aiding the argument for direct entry to the senior men's World Cup.
Oceania is made up of 11 nations in the South Pacific, eight of whom are in the bottom 20 of FIFA's rankings, with New Zealand the strongest in the vast but sparsely populated region.
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) only has half a qualifying spot for the men's World Cups, with the winner of the region forced into an inter-continental playoff for the finals, often against opponents in the Americas.
Direct entry for the OFC for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups had been mooted by embattled FIFA President Sepp Blatter but was rejected by the world governing body's Executive Committee last week, prompting a forceful expression of disappointment by New Zealand Football.
However, Blatter's announcement of his resignation this week in the wake of the corruption scandal could give NZF and the OFC an opportunity to push for more meaningful matches and direct entry to the World Cup, according to NZF chief executive Andy Martin.
"Any new leader coming into FIFA would need to have a look at the geographical split and the balance across the confederations," Martin told Reuters.
"I'm fairly new into football into New Zealand in the last 12 months but it is fairly clear that Oceania is the poor relation and something needs to change to get a balance."
While direct qualification for Oceania to the World Cups would be "nice", it would not be conducive to the standards of soccer in the region to be given "entry on the cheap", Martin said.
"From a New Zealand Football perspective, we need more competitive games on a regular basis," he added.
"What we want is a route that is competitive " and gives us a shot at qualifying for the World Cup as opposed to the random nature we have at the moment where we face one of the top South American nations."
Martin felt OFC's future lay with a closer alignment with Asia, with one qualifying route suggested being the Oceania winner joining the final round of qualifying matches within the AFC, or facing off with an Asian side for the final spot.
"That is one of the points we're lobbying hard for," he said. "We are working hard to find what that Asian link is and this is something we will be talking to any prospective candidates for the presidency now."
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