Brazil won South America U20

KATHMANDU: Brazil beat Uruguay to become South American Under-20 champions on Sunday, but the real winners of the tournament are future stars who have been unearthed.

The South American Under-20 Championship ended Sunday with Uruguay And Brazil title dispute. The remaining two places of this continent to attend the U20 World Cup, taking place in Indonesia in May and June, belong to the host. Colombia And Ecuadorand a large crowd gathered in Bogota to see who would be the champion.

Uruguay needs a draw. Brazil had to win — and eventually won it, although it took a long time to get it. The deadlock was finally broken six minutes before the end of regular time, and in the dying moments, Brazil scored another goal on the counter-attack to complete a 2-0 win. sure part about it.

This competition has two main problems. One is that it was not broadcast within the FIFA approved time frame. Clubs are under no obligation to release players. And with South Americans moving to Europe at an increasingly younger age, the number of absentees is increasing. There is a marked change from 4 years ago (the 2021 version was canceled due to the pandemic), and Ecuador feels it most clearly. They are South American champions in 2019. As a result, European clubs have become more aware of their youth training excellence. Many of their young players have been sold abroad, and some of the best of them have not made it to the tournament. Ecuador’s 2023 team is a poor comparison and has only managed to get one win before Paraguay on the last day brought them through the line.

Many teams have headaches because of the absence of key players. Colombia loses star striker Jhon Duran on the eve of the competition when he signed with Aston Villa. Brazil suffered the most damage, even some domestic clubs refused to release players. Coach Ramon Menezes had to make nine late changes to the squad. But then, given its enormous size, Brazil has a huge pool of talent to choose from. And they were motivated. After missing 3 of the last 4 U20 World Cups, they are determined that this time will not make a mistake. They’re healthy and ready — and that makes all the difference.

The second problem with the South American Under-20 Championship is a crazy calendar. Nine games in three weeks is definitely a good thing. Competitive level. Even Peru, who has lost all four group stage matches, has never been easily debunked. The entire second phase, where the six leading sides faced off against each other, there wasn’t a single game where the winning side could take their feet off the pedals for another half hour. Games were rife with hacks and shoves, and by the end of the competition it was clear that this had consequences.

Brazil played nine games in 25 days – the entire duration of the tournament. Uruguay played their match for 22 days. In the end, some of their key players – notably captain and midfield organizer Fabricio Diaz – quickly fizzled out. Brazil is bigger and faster. After a tense first half in Bogota, Brazil opened fire after halftime, and the match (and title) became a question mark as to whether Uruguay could continue.

They come close. Their centre-back pairing was very well organized. One of them, Sebastian Boselli, showed a master class in his handling of the huge, talented Brazilian centre-back Vitor Roque. On the other end, Luciano Rodriguez, probably the player of the tournament (and certainly the one who found out, since he played in Uruguay’s second division last year) carries the risk of owning an own goal. But serious pressure is taking place in the penalty area of ​​Uruguay. And the decisive moment came when the left-back replaced Kaique Bruno with a cross that sent the ball wide of the post. It cuts out both central defenders and allows recent Chelsea signed Andre Santos to score with a clever header that sent the ball into the far corner.

The team’s captain and powerful midfielder, Andre Santos has also developed the habit of appearing in the opposition box to score, and this is the most important of all the goals he has contributed to. campaign. He and Vitor Roque, along with right-back Arthur, midfielder Marlon Gomes and goalkeeper Mycael have all raised their profile in Colombia, as have Luciano Rodriguez, Boselli and Diaz in Uruguay. These are careers worth looking at. They and others will be waiting for their chance to shine in front of a global audience in Indonesia — because by far the most important thing for the Under-20 team (and all age-restricted football) is development. of the players. Brazil may celebrate the continental championship, but it will be a decade from now, when we look back at the career it started, that we can really judge who won the title. won the South American U20 Championship in 2023.