Argentina’s journey in Under-20 World Cup finals | OneFootball

Led by Diego Placente, the Argentina National Team will once again make an appearance in a U-20 World Cup final after defeating Colombia 1-0. With favorable statistics, they will seek another triumph in their eighth final appearance.

The “Albiceleste” is the most successful team in the category, having won six World Cups, and now they want more in the match that will take place next Sunday, starting at 8 PM.

The first trophy came at the 1979 Japan World Cup, led by a stellar Diego Armando Maradona and the goals of Ramón Díaz. The team coached by César Luis Menotti (who had won the senior World Cup the previous year) was crowned after defeating the Soviet Union at Tokyo’s National Stadium.

The USSR struck first with a goal from Igor Ponomarev in the 52nd minute. However, Argentina’s response was overwhelming: in the 68th minute, Hugo Alves equalized; three minutes later, Ramón Díaz made it 2-1; and Maradona put the finishing touch in the 76th minute for the definitive 3-1 with a great free kick.

The second celebration took a while, but arrived in 1995 and marked a turning point. It took 16 years for Argentina to lift the trophy again. Under the guidance of José Néstor Pékerman, a master in youth development, the Albiceleste began its golden era in Qatar 1995.

In the final, the opponent was Brazil, the eternal rival. With a display of collective play and discipline, Argentina won 2-0 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan. Leonardo Biagini opened the scoring in the 25th minute and Francisco Guerrero sealed the result in the 89th.

The sporting success continued, as two years later, in Malaysia 1997, again under Pekerman, Argentina claimed its third world title (second in a row).

With a new generation of talented youngsters like Juan Román Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Esteban Cambiasso, Diego Placente (current U-20 coach), and Lionel Scaloni (senior coach and current world champion), the team showed that the playing philosophy had been perfectly assimilated.

The final was a thrilling Río de la Plata classic against Uruguay. Midfielder Pablo García put the Uruguayans ahead in the 15th minute with a precise free kick, but Argentina’s response was swift: Esteban Cambiasso equalized in the 26th minute and Diego Quintana, in the 43rd minute of the first half, sealed the 2-1 final at the Shah Alam Stadium to retain the title.

The 2001 edition had a special flavor, as it was played in Argentina and the “Albiceleste” did not disappoint. Playing at home in 2001, with a memorable team that included Javier Saviola (Golden Ball and Silver Boot), Andrés D’Alessandro, Leandro Romagnoli, Nicolás Burdisso, and Willy Caballero, the Albiceleste captivated its fans.

The final was against Ghana at the Vélez Sarsfield stadium, with a convincing 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Diego Colotto (6’), Javier Saviola (14’), and Maximiliano Rodríguez (73’) for the fourth title, a mark that allowed them to surpass Brazil as the most successful team in history. The coach, once again, was Pekerman.

After Pékerman’s promotion to the senior team, Francisco Ferraro took the reins and in Netherlands 2005 the world was introduced to a player who would change football history. Lionel Messi, with a stellar performance that earned him the Golden Ball and Golden Boot (6 goals), was the standout figure.

The road to the title included six wins and only one loss. The final was an exciting 2-1 victory over Nigeria at Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, with two penalties from the “Flea”: the first in the 40th minute to open the scoring, the African equalizer in the 53rd by Chinedu Obasi, and the definitive 2-1 in the 75th.

The sixth star came in Canada 2007, with Hugo Tocalli as coach. The main protagonist was Sergio “Kun” Agüero, who took home the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, just like Messi two years earlier (6 goals).

With Ángel Di María, Éver Banega, Sergio Romero, and Federico Fazio as other key players, Argentina remained unbeaten with six wins and one draw.

In the final, played at BMO Field in Toronto, the opponent was Czech Republic. Martin Fenin put the Czechs ahead in the 60th minute, but once again, the Albiceleste showed their mettle: Sergio Agüero equalized two minutes later (62’) and Mauro Zárate, four minutes from the end (86’), gave Argentina the definitive 2-1 and their sixth and, so far, last U-20 World Cup title.

1983: The Only Final Lost by Argentina

The history of the Argentina National Team in U-20 World Cups is one of absolute dominance. However, there is a single blemish in that record of won finals: the final of the Mexico 1983 edition, where the Albiceleste fell to their eternal rival, Brazil.

That tournament, played on Mexican soil, saw Argentina, led by Carlos Pachamé, lose in the final due to a goal from Brazilian midfielder Geovani Silva in the 39th minute, which made it a definitive 1-0.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.