U-20 World Cup Final

Argentina 2-1 Czech Republic

The first 45 minutes was frustrating to watch. These were two bullish teams trying to impose their style on each other, largely by fouling each non-stop. I thought the ref was a little too tight at first but ultimately did a pretty good job of not letting the game get out of hand. It was pretty amazing considering how many yellow cards that were doled out that there were no ejections and no penalties.

Czech jumped ahead around the 60th goal on a killer goal by Martin Fenin, who I thought was Czech's best up front player. Czech's D was solid on the backline but nobody stood out to me, they weren't terribly adept at moving the ball forward.

Sergio Arguero tied the game two minutes later, finishing a sweet pass from Ever Banega. Mauro Zarate scored off a corner kick (a bit of a soft goal, keeper probably should've kept it out) with about 5 minutes left to take the game for the Argentines. Arguero was the top scorer and overall MVP of the tourney and clearly one of Argentina's future stars. Banega to me was the star of the show for Argentina and will undoubtedly anchor their midfield in the next World Cup. Arguero and Maxi Moralez were good players for Argentina as was Sergio Romero, their goalie. The Argentines disappointed in the Copa America final last week but there was some redemption in this victory and it points to continued Argentine competitiveness well into the next World Cup cycle.