The Argentina U20 national team lost 3-2 against Paraguay in the final match of the Sudamericano hexagonal stage, missing out on the championship title. The tournament, held in Venezuela, secured Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay spots in the U20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

Heading into the final matchday, Argentina needed a victory by at least four goals to overtake Brazil, who had earlier defeated Chile 3-0. However, Diego Placente’s team fell short of the required margin, allowing Brazil—despite their 6-0 loss to Argentina in the group stage—to claim the title.

The news of Brazil’s victory appeared to impact Argentina’s performance. Paraguay dominated early, and though the halftime score was just 1-0—thanks to a goal from Luca Kmet—the deficit could have been larger due to Paraguay’s poor finishing.

Early in the second half, Paraguay extended their lead through Tiago Caballero, putting Argentina’s hopes out of reach as they now needed six goals. Placente’s squad responded, as Vélez forward Maher Carrizo scored twice to level the score. However, just as Argentina looked set to complete the comeback and end the tournament with a win, Diego León scored for Paraguay, securing the victory.

Argentina finished the Sudamericano as runners-up with 10 points, having remained unbeaten until yesterday’s loss. Brazil won the trophy with 13 points, while Colombia and Paraguay finished just behind Argentina with nine. Uruguay and Chile, with one point each, rounded out the table, though Chile had already secured World Cup qualification as the host nation.

U20 South American Championship fixture and standings.

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.