Argentina U20 and Brazil U20 played to a tense 1-1 draw in Caracas, Venezuela, on Matchday 4 of the final hexagonal of the South American U20 Championship. With this result, the title race remains undecided and will be determined in the final round of matches.
Both teams entered the match with nine points after three consecutive victories, knowing that a win would secure the championship due to head-to-head tiebreaker rules. Argentina, having handed Brazil a historic 6-0 defeat in the group stage, started strong and dominated the first half.
Claudio Echeverri, the captain of La Albiceleste, broke the deadlock before halftime. After Breno Bidon fouled Julio Soler inside the box, Echeverri stepped up and converted the penalty with a panenka, giving Argentina the lead.
The second half saw a more balanced contest, with Argentina controlling play and limiting Brazil’s offensive threats. However, with only minutes left in the match, Brazil found their equalizer. Rayan latched onto a precise through ball on the right side, and with goalkeeper Jeremías Martinet failing to close the angle, he struck a low shot into the far corner to secure the draw.
With one match remaining, Argentina will face Paraguay, who sit on six points, while Brazil will take on Chile, who have only one point in the standings. Brazil holds a slight advantage in goal difference, meaning if both teams win their final games, the title will be decided by goal differential. The decisive matches are set for Sunday, with the kick-off times yet to be confirmed.
Future doesn’t look bad either. Winning it in 2021 against the Bananas in Maracana says it all. I nearly have lost count of all the trophies we won (left and right) since that day. Few teams ,if any at all, have that collection of trophies in just 03 years.
This youth tournament has given us a glimpse of bright future which for me is more than winning it. Plus, If a team we destroyed by almost half a dozen claims it, so be it. It doesn’t tell u the story nor the future.