Argentina made it yet another FIFA under-20 World Cup win after coming back from a goal down to beat a battling Czech Republic. These two sides are played to a scoreless draw in the group stage and after an hour of play in this match we had gone one hundred and fifty minutes without a goal – and then we got two inside two minutes.

Fenin opened the scoring with a goal good enough to win any final when he swiveled in the penalty area and hooked an unstoppable shot past Romero in the Argentina goal. It was just what the Czechs needed and wanted – to get their noses in front.

But the lead would disappear in a matter of seconds as Banega threaded a ball through to an unmarked Aguero who bore down on goal and rolled the ball past Petr. It was a bad lapse in concentration and a costly one. From then on there was only going to be one winner as the Czechs heads visibly dropped.

A Moralez shot demanded a save from Petr as Banega started to totally dominate the midfield and orchestrate attack after attack. Just as extra time seemed to be a good bet Zarate became the man of the moment. It started with substitute Acosta darting into the Czech box and he clipped shot was deflected over the crossbar.

The resultant corner kick was played short to Zarate who cut back into the penalty and let go what appeared to be a routine shot. It was nothing the kind as Czech keeper Radek Petr misplayed the ball as it skipped into the corner of the net for the winner.

The last few minutes were played out with no threat to Argentina’s goal.

Tournament Notes
The final possession statistic was Argentina 63% to the Czech Republic’s 37%.
Ten yellow cards were handed out by referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco of Spain – six to the Czech Republic and four to Argentina. It was a game that he kept well under control throughout.
Sergio Aguero finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals.
Giovanni Dos Santos received the Bronze Ball, Maximiliano Moralez the Silver and Sergio Aguero the Golden Ball. My votes went to Gold – Moralez, Silver – Banega and Bronze to Vidangoosy.
Japan won the FIFA Fair Play trophy. 
The first half had been tense affair but one that was not without incident. The game needed a goal and once it came the match really sparked to life.
Matias Sanchez who deputized for Claudio Yacob played like a young Diego Simeone complete with the same running style.
Just before the match I ran into Peter Montopoli the Exective Director for the tournament – a man who deserves great credit for the success of the event. He looked as if he was looking forward to a drink or four tonight.

Before we start to look at some of the teams and players that will be competing at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup it is worth taking a moment to look at the rules governing the competition.

Back in March of this year the draw for the tournament was made in Toronto. The format called for six groups of four countries playing a single round robin. The top two countries from each group along with the four best third place finishers will move on to a last 16 with all the last matches in each group being played simultaneously.

Rankings in group play will be decided in the following order: most points gained in group matches, goal difference in all group matches, most goals scored in all group matches. If still tied the tie-breaker will progress through; most points gained in head-to-head matches, goal difference in head-to-head matches, most goals scored in head-to-head matches, fair play system in which the number of yellow and red cards are evaluated, drawing of lots.

The four best place finishers will be determined by; most points gained in group matches, goal difference in all group matches, most goals scored in all group matches, fair play system in which the number of yellow and red cards are evaluated, drawing of lots.

With the four best third place finishers moving on the permutations for the round of sixteen are numerous. It is a topic that we will revisit in a future blog. 

From the last sixteen on, it is a straight knock out competition. In the case of a tie in the knock out stage two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played in full and if still tied the game will be decided by penalty kicks. 

All teams must arrive in the host country at least four days before the opening match regardless of the date of their first match. Eligibility criteria are that all players must have been born on or after January 1, 1987.

The final team list comprises 21 players, “three of whom shall be goalkeepers”. The final team list is due ten working days before the opening match of the competition so according to me calculations all the rosters must have been lodged. Having said this FIFA has yet to post the final squads on the official site. 

A player listed on the final team list may be replaced in the event of serious injury up until 24 hours before the kick-off of a team’s first game.

Atleti-female has provided an update on the Argentine squad
“The coach of Argentina's U-20 team, Hugo Tocalli, chose many of the same players that he used for the South American U-20 Cup 2007 in Paraguay. So, supporters of Argentina will not notice many surprises.
A few changes exist in the offence: Mauro Zárate (striker for Vélez Sársfield), Damián Escudero (midfielder for Vélez Sársfield) and Sergio Agüero (striker for Atlético Madrid) will debut in Canada after missing out on the South American U-20 Cup due to complications with their respective clubs.
Coach Tocalli also included Pablo Daniel Piatti (striker for Estudiantes) and Alejandro Cabral (midfielder for Vélez Sársfield) as they have had fairly impressive seasons at their respective clubs.
Gonzalo Abán, Pablo Mouche and Ismael Sosa lost their spots on the squad due to mediocre seasons and/or injuries. Gonzalo Higuaín, striker for Real Madrid, asked to sit this competition out because the club would like him to rest and prepare for next season's campaign.

Here's the full squad list:
1 Sergio Romero-goalkeeper- Racing
2 Federico Fazio-defender-Sevilla
3 Emiliano Insúa-defender-Liverpool
4 Gabriel Mercado-defender-Racing
5 Ever Banega-midfielder-Boca Juniors
6 Matías Cahais-defender-Boca Juniors
7 Claudio Yacob-midfielder-Racing
8 Matías Sánchez-midfielder-Racing
9 Mauro Zárate-striker-Vélez Sársfield
10 Sergio Agüero-striker-Atlético Madrid de España
11 Damián Escudero-striker-Vélez Sársfield
12 Javier García-goalkeeper-Boca Juniors
13 Germán Voboril-defender-San Lorenzo
14 Leonardo Sigali-defender-Nueva Chicago
15 Alejandro Cabral-defender-Vélez Sársfield
16 Alejandro Gómez-midfielder-Arsenal de Sarandí
17 Maximiliano Moralez-midfielder-Racing
18 Ángel Di Maria-midfielder-Rosario Central
19 Pablo Daniel Piatti-striker-Estudiantes de La Plata
20 Lautaro Acosta-striker-Lanús
21 Bruno Emiliano Centeno-goalkeeper-San Lorenzo

'Vamos Argentina!'”

You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a selection regularly. If you have a blog and you have information on the tournament please post your link under comments.

The tournament starts on June 30, with the final set for Toronto on July 22. Make sure to tune in nightly to the Fox Soccer Report at 10:00 EST on Fox Sports World Report in Canada and Fox Soccer Channel in the USA.