Benin produced an extraordinary attacking display to defeat India 27-0 in the Under-18 School Football World Cup on Tuesday (20 October), securing qualification for the round of 16 with a match to spare.
The emphatic victory in Suzhou, China, marked a second successive win for the West African side, popularly known as the School Cheetahs, who have established themselves as one of the tournament’s most prolific attacking teams.
Having opened their Group B campaign with a commanding 7-0 victory over Qatar just 24 hours earlier, Benin delivered an even more remarkable performance against India. Across their opening two fixtures, they scored 34 goals without conceding, underlining their dominance at both ends of the pitch.
The Indian side struggled throughout the 80-minute encounter as Benin maintained relentless attacking pressure. Their forwards repeatedly broke through the opposition defence, converting opportunities with remarkable efficiency.
John Ethan Hountinmé, François Adissa and Osvaldo Sèmèvo Loko led the scoring, each netting four goals. Izoudine Boukary also made a significant contribution with a hat-trick, while two own goals from Indian players added to the extraordinary final score.
The result highlighted the attacking strength of Benin’s young footballers, who demonstrated their ability to maintain intensity and convert chances throughout the contest.
Under the guidance of coach Séverin Danha, the School Cheetahs have combined clinical finishing with disciplined defending, keeping consecutive clean sheets while recording two comprehensive victories.
In the other Group B fixture, China’s second team maintained its winning record with a convincing 6-0 victory over Qatar.
The Chinese side had previously defeated India ISSO-2 by 15-0 in their opening match, meaning both China and Benin collected six points from their first two appearances.
However, Benin held a substantial advantage in goal difference, standing at +34 compared with China’s +21. That superior record placed Danha’s side at the top of Group B after two rounds of matches.
With Qatar and India both remaining without points, neither could catch the leading pair. As the top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stage, Benin and China secured their places in the last 16 before their final group encounter.
The meeting between the two unbeaten teams was therefore set to determine who would finish first in the group, rather than decide qualification.
For Benin, the impressive start represents another chapter in their developing history at the international school football competition.
The country is participating in the tournament for the third consecutive time, having previously achieved contrasting results in its first two appearances.
Benin finished fifth in the 2023 edition, demonstrating considerable promise against international opposition. Their fortunes changed in 2024, when they ended the competition in 19th place.
Those experiences have provided valuable competitive exposure for the country’s emerging young footballers, who are seeking to produce a stronger performance in the latest edition.
The emphatic victory over India has strengthened Benin’s position among the tournament’s leading contenders, although the knockout rounds will present fresh challenges against teams advancing from other groups.
With 34 goals scored in just two matches and a perfect defensive record at that stage, the School Cheetahs have already established an impressive foundation for their campaign.
Their next challenge will be to maintain that consistency as the competition progresses, with the ambition of improving upon their previous best finish of fifth place.
