Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

France and North Korea will vie for the first place, while the Germans hope for bronze when they take on Ghana in the third-place play-off of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in Azerbaijan on October 13.

France beat Ghana and North Korea was victorious over Germany in the semifinals held on Baku's 8km Stadium on Tuesday.

Two goals by 17-year-old striker Kadidiatou Diani helped France to their first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Final.

However, according to France coach Guy Ferrier, his team is an outsider in the final.

"We can be world champions, but we will be facing an extremely strong team whoever we play. We drew against Korea DPR in the group phase and lost to Germany in the final of the European championship. What I mean to say is that we are not the favorites in the final. We are the outsiders," Ferrier said after the semifinal match of his team.

The Korean pressure was intense to beat Germany with two goals by 16-year-old forward Kim So Hyang, but the team missed a goal as well. Nevertheless, this was enough to send Korea DPR into the final.

Korean coach Hwang Yong Bong expressed delight with the game results.

"I am so happy today. I think our players tried their best today in this match. Germany has very good players on their side and they were a very strong opponent," he exclaimed.

The final of this grand sporting event will come with a magnificent show on Baku's Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium on October 13, featuring world-famous pop star Shakira. She arrived in Baku on Tuesday night.

Shakira is set to deliver a grand show in Baku during the closing of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and at her concert in Baku Crystall Hall, where the Eurovision song contest was held this May, she wrote on her Twitter page.

The U-17 Women's World Cup follows hot on the traces of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012 and the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in London, and the first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Eurasia.

Hosting grounds for the championship games are five stadiums in Baku and the central stadium in Lankaran, southern Azerbaijan.

Alongside women's football giants such as USA, Germany, Brazil and Japan, there are several newcomers as Gambia, China, Uruguay and hosts Azerbaijan, all making their tournament debuts.

The first U-17 Women's World Cup championship was held in New Zealand in 2008, while the second FIFA U-17 took place in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

Azerbaijan was chosen to host the third championship, according to the FIFA Executive Committee's decision passed in March 2010.