On May 20, a new edition of the U-20 World Cup will begin in Argentina. Brazil are in the group of death with Italy, Nigeria and the Dominican Republic. The Canarinha’s first game will be on May 21 against Italy at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium.
However, Brazil have a long tradition in this competition, being the second most successful team with five titles, behind Argentina who have six. Brazil’s last World Under-20 trophy was in 2011, when they beat Portugal 3-2 in extra time at the tournament in Colombia.
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This Brazil U-20 team had several players who would go on to become world stars, such as Casemiro, Oscar, Philippe Coutinho, Alex Sandro and Danilo, but also some young prospects who never really exploded. The top scorer in this championship was then Henrique, striker from São Paulo, with five goals and three assists. He won the title of top scorer of the tournament and the golden ball for best player.
Brazil’s rise in the tournament: from comfortable group stages to victorious semi-finals
At this tournament, the Brazilian selection was in a relatively easy group, sharing with Austria, Egypt and Panama. With two wins and a draw against Egypt (1-1), the team qualified comfortably in first place. In the round of 16, they would face Saudi Arabia, where they would have no major problems, winning an emphatic 3-0.
However, things would get tricky in the quarter-finals when they needed the penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw against Spain. The semi-finals against Mexico, one of the surprises of the tournament, would be a little easier since the Brazilian team would win 2-0.
In the final, the team was the favorite, but they were up against a great Portuguese side who had amply demonstrated their worth to win the trophy. The match started very lively, with Portugal taking the lead in the 5th minute, but quickly, in the 9th minute, Oscar equalized.
The Portuguese managed to regain the lead, but with little time left in the match, Oscar scored again, sending the final into extra time. During extra time, Oscar would score his third goal, sealing the definitive victory by 3 to 2 and giving Brazil their fifth title in this tournament.
