Lo inevitable, lo esperable y el fair play (SPA-ENG)

The inevitable, the expected, and fair play

The group stage of the U-20 World Cup being held in Chile is very close to a close. With several groups already completed, the results confirmed the inevitable: Brazil was the biggest disappointment, finishing last in its group with just one point after a draw against Mexico in the opening match. It lost to Morocco and Spain yesterday by the narrowest margin.

Spain, meanwhile, finished third, and although its passage to the next round seems assured as one of the four best third-place finishers, it can't yet take its continued presence for granted; it will depend on what happens in the final matches of Groups E and F today.

Another team that was expected to do better is France. It won its debut against South Africa but was then thrashed by the United States. Today, it will have the opportunity to secure its place as it faces New Caledonia, the weakest team in the group, which has conceded 14 goals in two matches.

Chile has been another disappointment. After an auspicious debut, beating New Zealand 2-1, they lost consecutively to Japan and Egypt, secured second place in the group thanks to Fair Play, and tied with their winner on the final matchday. However, the rules prioritize the number of cards received over the result between them. I understand that the tiebreaker criteria should be reviewed, even though fair play is important. I remember that Argentina once won a youth tournament thanks to having more corner kicks than their opponent.

Since we're talking about Argentina, what everyone here in my country expected happened. Last night I watched the match against Italy, which was much more competitive than I would have liked. The Italians are enormous and physically demanding. They're the reigning European champions and played well, although in the end, our superior technique won out with a spectacular goal from Gorosito, a young Boca Juniors defender who has only played one first-division match. He entered the opponent's box, eluding the defender with a nutmeg, and finished as if he were a striker accustomed to such tasks. Bravo to our team, which won its group with a perfect score. In the same group, Cuba's hopes ended; despite playing quite well against our team and Italy, they succumbed to the Australian youth team.

Tomorrow, Monday, will be a day off, and action will resume on Tuesday. The knockout stage is coming up, and the World Cup is slowly beginning to reach its final stretch.