U20 SOCCER WORLD CUP 2011: Brazil claim impressive fifth title

Brazil claimed their fifth FIFA U-20 World Cup crown on Saturday, beating Portugal after extra time in Bogota, the first time they have won the competition since 2003.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 ended as it began, with rain teeming down in prelude to the match for third place at El Campin in Bogota.

And for the second time in the competition, following on from their fightback in the Round of 16 against Cameroon, Mexico came from behind to beat France and take third place on the podium, El Tri’s best finish in the competition since 1977, when they ended runners-up. Les Bleuets did not go away too disappointed, however, having completed their best ever campaign in the competition, despite conceding 12 goals, the joint-worst defensive record alongside Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The battle for the bronze medal was followed by the tournament showpiece, in which Brazil claimed their fifth title in the category, avenging the penalty shoot-out defeat they suffered against Portugal 20 years ago and erasing the memory of their loss on penalties to Ghana in the Egypt 2009 final.

Results

Match for third place

Mexico 3-1 France

Final

Brazil 3-2 Portugal (aet)

Goal of the day

Brazil-Portugal, Oscar (111)

Completing an outstanding display and a superlative hat-trick, Oscar collected the ball wide on the right and sent it looping over Mika and into the back of the net, settling a dramatic final in spectacular style.

Memorable moments

Déjà vu: Ulises Davila’s equaliser for Mexico against France was a carbon copy of the goal El Tri keeper Jose Rodriguez conceded in the quarter-finals against Colombia, a speculative shot from long distance slipping between Jonathan Ligali’s legs and over the line. Mexico’s third goal of the day, a powering Edson Rivera header from a Davila corner, was also a repeat of their third goal in that last-eight win over the host nation.

Portuguese motivation: Portugal captain Nuno Reis urged his team-mates on in unique style before the final kicked off. After shaking the hands of the Brazilian players, the Cercle Brugge player took up position behind them and proceeded to shake the hands of each and every member of his team, a bonding exercise that looked to have paid dividends until the South Americans edged the contest in extra time.

Mika falls short: The Portuguese keeper came within 19 minutes of eclipsing the tournament record of 634 minutes without conceding a goal, set by Brazil between 1985 and 1987. Oscar’s deflected fifth-minute opener in Bogota was the fastest goal in a FIFA U-20 World Cup final since Barkero put Spain on the road to victory against Japan at Nigeria 1999.

The stat

5 - The number of goals scored in Saturday’s final between Brazil and Portugal, the highest tally ever in a FIFA U-20 World Cup final one more than the previous highest number scored in the competition showpiece (at Tunisia 1977, Japan 1979, Australia 1981 and Nigeria 1999). Five is also the number of FIFA U-20 world titles A Seleçao have now won, one behind the tournament’s most successful nation, Argentina.

Up next

The next FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Turkey in 2013, while the next FIFA competition on the horizon is the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which begins in Ravenna, Italy, on 1 September.

Oscar treble wins thrilling final for Brazil

An Oscar hat-trick inspired Brazil to 3-2 comeback victory over Portugal in thrilling conclusion to the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Iberians were just 12 minutes away from the title when the Internacional player's goal ensured the game went into extra time, and he then completed his treble to seal the deal.

The game got off to an electric start, with Brazil's Philippe Coutinho and Sana of Portugal showcasing some breathtaking footwork before the deadlock was briskly broken. Indeed, just four minutes were on the clock when Oscar's curling effort took a nick off Sergio Oliveira and went into the bottom corner of Mika's goal. It brought to an end, at 574 minutes, the Portugal goalkeeper's record sequence without conceding in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The pre-match consensus suggested that if Brazil went ahead, Portugal would be dead and buried. That theory was dead and buried just four minutes later, though. Nelson Oliveira broke down the right and crossed for Alex to head home the equaliser.

The South Americans had more of the ball and gave their opponents a few nervy moments thereafter. Danilo's low, rasping shot had Mika struggling, but the latter grabbed the ball at the second attempt, just before Willian arrived, while Oscar's goal-bound free-kick was headed over by Nuno Reis and Fernando's 30-yard strike went just over the crossbar. Ultimately, though, the teams went in at the break all square.

Brazil started the second half with Allan and Negueba on in place of Gabriel Silva and Willian, and they quickly found their rhythm. Danilo delightfully deceived one adversary on the right flank before galloping into the box, but Portugal were able to clear their lines. The Iberians then threatened through Sergio Oliveria, but Gabriel's handling proved up to the No17's fierce shot.

However, the Brazil No1 let himself down minutes later. Nelson Oliveira's shot from an extremely tight angle down the right slipped under the Cruzeiro player's body and put Portugal 2-1 up.

Nelson Oliveira proved himself to be far more than a goalscorer over the next ten minutes, relieving the pressure on his side, who were being dominated territorially, by chasing and winning lost causes. He almost put the result beyond doubt on 73 minutes, too, cutting inside Bruno Uvini but having his shot blocked by Gabriel.

Just as it looked as though Brazil were running out of ideas, though, they levelled the score. Dudu, Ney Franco's perennial super sub, dashed down the left and delivered a cross which Oscar turned home from close range.

It was all Brazil thereafter. Dudu produced one brilliant cross which Pele did well to blast away, while Oscar's crowd-pleasing back-heel set up Fernando, whose powerful strike went straight at Mika. It was on to extra time.

On 97 minutes Portugal had a gilt-edged chance to go in front. Caetano sprinted clear of the Brazil defence and faced Gabriel one-on-one. The diminutive substitute tried to chip the keeper, but the latter jumped smartly to deny him.

Brazil got the contest's fifth goal on 111 minutes. Oscar picked the ball up on the right, and his centre into the box lobbed Mika and nestled in the back of his net.

Brazil had won their fifth FIFA U-20 World Cup and South America had seized eight of the last ten trophies.

3:2MatchCastOverviewPlay-by-PlayQuotesSummaryReportStatisticsComments


3:2 a.e.t. (2:2, 1:1)

OSCAR (5' 78' 111')

ALEX (9')

NELSON OLIVEIRA (59')

Match 52 - Group Bogota

Estadio Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin'Referee: Mark GEIGER (USA)
 
Final


Brazil - Portugal3:2 a.e.t. (2:2, 1:1)Match Date Time Venue / Stadium Attendance

52 20 August 2011 20:00 Bogota / Estadio Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin' 36058

Match Officials

Referee

Mark GEIGER (USA) Assistant Referee 1

Mark HURD (USA)

Fourth Official

KIM Dong Jin (KOR) Assistant Referee 2

Joe FLETCHER (CAN)

Match Commissioner

Luis HERNÁNDEZ (CUB) Fifth Official

LEE Jungmin (KOR)

Goals scored

OSCAR (BRA) 5', ALEX (POR) 9', NELSON OLIVEIRA (POR) 59', OSCAR (BRA) 78', OSCAR (BRA) 111'

Brazil

Line-up

[1] GABRIEL (GK)

[2] DANILO

[3] BRUNO UVINI (C)

[4] JUAN JESUS

[5] FERNANDO

[8] CASEMIRO

[9] WILLIAN (-46' HT)

[10] PHILIPPE COUTINHO (-62')

[11] OSCAR

[16] GABRIEL SILVA (-46' HT)

[19] HENRIQUE

Substitute(s)

[12] CESAR (GK)

[21] ALEKSANDER (GK)

[6] ALEX SANDRO [A]

[7] DUDU (+62')

[13] FRAUCHES

[14] ALLAN (+46' HT)

[15] ROMARIO LEIRIA

[17] GALHARDO

[18] ALAN PATRICK

[20] NEGUEBA (+46' HT)

Coach

Ney FRANCO (BRA)Portugal

Line-up

[1] MIKA (GK)

[2] PELE

[4] NUNO REIS (C)

[5] RODERICK

[7] NELSON OLIVEIRA

[8] CEDRIC (-57')

[10] SANA (-100')

[14] ALEX (-82')

[15] DANILO

[17] SERGIO OLIVEIRA

[20] MARIO RUI

Substitute(s)

[12] TIAGO MAIA (GK)

[19] LUIS RIBEIRO (GK)

[3] TIAGO FERREIRA

[6] JULIO ALVES (+57')

[9] AMIDO BALDE

[11] CAETANO (+82')

[13] LUIS MARTINS

[16] SERGINHO

[18] RICARDO DIAS (+100')

[21] RAFAEL LOPES

Coach

Ilidio VALE (POR)Cautions

RODERICK (POR) 28', PELE (POR) 36', SERGIO OLIVEIRA (POR) 38', HENRIQUE (BRA) 45'+1, JUAN JESUS (BRA) 74', JULIO ALVES (POR) 85', SANA (POR) 88', NELSON OLIVEIRA (POR) 98'

Expulsions

Additional time

First Half: 1' Second Half: 3' First Extra Time: 1' Second Extra Time: 2'

Brazil (BRA) Statistics Portugal (POR)

21 Shots 18

13 Shots on goal 5

16 Fouls Committed 16

8 Corner kicks 3

3 Direct Free Kicks to Goal 2

0 Indirect Free Kicks to Goal 0

0 / 0 Penalty Kicks 0 / 0

2 Offsides 2

0 Own Goals 0

2 Cautions 6

0 Expulsions due to Second Caution 0

0 Direct Expulsions 0

51% Possession (%) 49%

41 Actual playing time 39

a.e.t.: After extra time (C): Captain PSO: Penalty Shoot-out

GK: Goalkeeper N: Not eligible to play I: Injured

Y: Yellow cards Pos: Positions A: Absent

Brazil-Portugal: Quotes

Ney Franco, Brazil coach

"For me personally, taking part in this competition has been a massive experience. We’ve felt right at home, whether it’s been in Barranquilla, Pereira or Bogota. As far as the match itself, we knew it’d be very difficult and that Portugal wouldn’t just roll over. It was a very tough and interesting game. But even when we went behind, we were able to battle back and ended up scoring three goals against a team that hadn’t conceded any beforehand. I’m very happy to see Henrique take the award, but I'm surprised that Oscar wasn’t voted the tournament’s best player. We’ve followed the same tactics throughout and it’s worked for us, by adopting a more physical approach in the first half and using our skilful players to tip the balance in our favour. We did experience a bit of a drop in tempo, but that’s to be expected when you play seven matches at a World Cup. This fifth (U-20) title is a great triumph for our country, and takes us level (on five world titles) with the senior side."

Ilidio Vale, Portugal coach

"We have to congratulate the Portuguese players because they’ve had a brilliant World Cup. My team weren’t the favourites, but they didn’t show any fear in any of their games. The result of this match was shaped by the players’ physical condition. I had three players who were exhausted, but I was forced to bring off other lads instead. This was a great match between two excellent teams, the best sides in the competition, and had a worthy winner. It was a very intense encounter, a real final. In my view, playing at altitude didn’t seem to have too much of an impact. What's more, we had several opportunities to win the match in normal time and another huge chance to score in extra time, but we weren’t able to put them away. Brazil also seemed to be struggling physically. Once again we were very organised defensively, but we proved we know how to attack too. This tournament has unearthed several Portuguese players, such as Mika, Danilo and Nelson Oliveira. It has proved that Portugal have some talented players for the future."

Henrique chalks up individual double

In a dramatic final at El Campin in the Colombian capital Bogota, Brazil claimed the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the fifth time with a 3-2 extra-time victory over Portugal. The South Americans’ thrilling triumph owed much to a host of outstanding individuals, none more so than Henrique, who duly collected the adidas Golden Ball and Golden Boot as the tournament’s best player and top scorer. Players from gallant runners-up Portugal were also recognised for thier unexpected run to final: Nelson Oliveira won the adidas Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player, and Mika was named best keeper. FIFA.com reviews the roll of honour.

adidas Golden Ball: Henrique (Brazil)

Henrique was deservedly named best player after contributing five vital goals to the South Americans’ fifth triumph at U-20 level. In fact, the Sao Paulo striker was not an automatic pick at the start of the tournament, coming on for Willian as an 80th-minute sub in Brazil’s opening match against Egypt. Even in the short time remaining, the 20-year-old did enough to persuade coach Ney Franco to start with him from then on. The striker immediately repaid the coach’s faith with his side’s opening goal in their second match against Austria, and four more were to follow in the course of the finals.

adidas Silver Ball: Nelson Oliveira (Portugal)

The lightning-quick forward was one of Portugal’s most influential players, as the unfancied Europeans stormed to a terrific success at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011. He scored four of his team’s goals, and had a hand in both goals in the final as his side came agonisingly close to a shock victory. His pacy thrust initially set up Alex to level the scores, before he personally stepped in to put his side 2-1 up, scoring from an almost impossibly tight angle. The award recognises his increasingly crucial contribution as the tournament went on, as his goals propelled the Portuguese to a place in the final itself.

adidas Bronze Ball: Jorge Enriquez (Mexico)

Jorge Enriquez was the undisputed leader and decision-maker for the Mexicans in Colombia, spearheading his team’s drive to a fine third-place finish, and appearing in all El Tri’s seven matches up to and including the match for third-place in Bogota. Enriquez scored his personal best goal of the finals in that match to set the seal on a highly promising performance at the 2011 finals. The 20-year-old Guadalajara midfielder, arguably the best of a very good bunch of Mexican juniors at the present time, also made his maiden appearances for the senior national team at this summer’s Copa America in Argentina.

adidas Golden Glove: Mika

The FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) recognised Portuguese keeper Mika’s consistent brilliance in Colombia with the adidas Golden Glove as best goalkeeper. The 1.84m Leiria shot-stopper did not concede a single goal in normal or extra time until the fifth minute of the final against Brazil, when a run of 585 minutes without a goal against came to an end. Nevertheless, Mika was one of the outstanding individuals in Portugal’s run to the runners-up spot.

adidas Golden Boot: Henrique (Brazil/5 goals, 3 assists)

Brazil emerged as the tournament’s premier attacking force with a total of 18 goals. Five of those came from Henrique, who also set up another three for team-mates, a performance good enough to secure the adidas Golden Boot as the top scorer in Colombia. His two goals in the semi-final against Mexico were the most important of all, as he single-handedly saw his side through to the final, but he had already hit the target against Austria and Panama at the group stage, and added another in a 3-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Round of 16.

adidas Silver Boot: Alvaro Vazquez (Spain/ 5 goals, 2 assists)

Alvaro Vazquez hit the headlines in Spain’s commanding victory over Australia, scoring a first-half hat-trick as his team went on to win a Group C encounter 5-1. The last of his five goals came in the quarter-final meeting with Brazil, as he levelled the scores at 2-2 in the 102nd minute. However, the striker’s joy would turn to sorrow just a short time later: it was he who missed the decisive spot-kick as his side were eliminated on penalties.

adidas Bronze Boot: Alexandre Lacazette (France/ 5 goals, 1 assist)

France sharp-shooter Alexandre Lacazette emerged as the tournament’s super sub, scoring three times after coming off the bench. The Olympique Lyon man’s goals were generally important ones too. His strikes against Korea Republic and Mali effectively settled the outcome in favour of the French, and the 20-year-old was the match-winner against Nigeria in the quarter-finals, contributing a brace to the 3-2 win which sent the Europeans through to the last four. Lacazette also netted his side’s only goal in the 3-1 defeat to Mexico in the third-place play-off, taking his personal tally to five for the tournament.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Nigeria

Nigeria’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals, but a very good team deservedly earned a couple of mentions in the roll of honour. The Africans earned plaudits for their uninhibited attacking approach and finished second-highest scorers with 15 goals in their five matches. Even more impressively, they collected a mere three yellow cards and were thus the fairest team at the FIFA U-20-World Cup by some distance.

Henrique: The reward for all my efforts

FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Brazil’s Henrique. Having begun the competition on the bench, he had earned a starting berth by his side’s second game and went on to help A Seleção lift the trophy and bag the two most coveted individual awards in the process.

Indeed, clutching his winners’ medal, the adidas Golden Ball for the competition’s best player and the adidas Golden Boot as its top scorer, the Sao Paulo attacker seemed to be struggling to carry them all when he stopped to chat to FIFA.com on leaving the Estadio Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin' in Bogota. Among the topics discussed wth Brazil’s golden boy were his path to glory here in Colombia, his most memorable moments and goals at this competition, the knock he picked up in the Round of 16 and praise for team-mate Oscar – the star of the show in the 3-2 final win over Portugal.

You’ve picked up three pieces of silverware in a matter of minutes. Can you even begin to describe what’s gone through your head tonight?

Henrique: It’s so exciting to be able to lift all these trophies, as well as being chosen as the best player at a competition like this and finishing top scorer too. It’s a very difficult feat. But I’d like to say that being crowned champions mattered more than anything else. Of course these individual awards are brilliant, but I came here to help the team towards their overall objective. Without this fantastic squad I wouldn’t have won anything.

You began the competition on the bench before breaking into the starting XI and playing a decisive role in the latter stages. Did you expect things to pan out like that?

You’re right, I only came off the bench late on in that opening game against Egypt. But of course this is how I really wanted things to go here, and coach Ney Franco showed a lot of faith in me from the start. He started me in our second game and I improved as the competition went on, as well as being fortunate enough to score goals against Panama, Austria, Saudi Arabia and then two against Mexico, which were decisive. I didn’t find the net today, but that’s just football.

You also suffered a serious scare when taking a knock in the game against Saudi Arabia in the Round of 16. How did you recover in time for the match against Spain in the last eight?

I had to fight really hard. Only the people here know how tough I had it. I didn’t just injure my arm, I hurt my thigh and my ankle too. I had to take injections and get treatment morning and night, because there were real doubts about me being able to play. Strikers always end up going through the mill, taking a lot of hits. Fortunately, and thanks to a lot of help from the medical staff, I managed to recover. I’m really pleased because I’ve been rewarded for all the effort I put in.

The match against Portugal was a really hard-fought affair wasn’t it?

It was very difficult. They played with a four-man backline plus two powerful defensive midfielders. They had six players who barely left their own half, so it was very difficult to pass the ball through the middle of them. I found it quite tough going too. I did get the chance to grab a goal late on but Mika, who’s an excellent keeper, ended up making the save. Fortunately everything turned out ok in the end.

How much does this title mean to you in terms of your career?

It means a great deal. I’m still young and it’s an incredible experience to win important awards like these, as well as being crowned champions of the biggest tournament for our age group. I won’t forget this final either, because we took the lead, they turned the scoreline on its head and then we came back again to win. It was very tough, but we’re proud of what we achieved. And it’s not long until the Olympics. All of us here are young enough to be involved and we’re going to keep a close eye on things. We’re hoping to be there, and why not?

You made a clean sweep of the prizes available tonight, but if you had to nominate another player for the adidas Golden Ball who would you choose?

I think I’d choose Oscar. He’s had an excellent tournament. He’s really helped the team, even though he’s played out of position, and has tracked back as well as attacked. And he supplied loads of assists, five maybe six, I don’t know. Today he got goals too. I think that he deserved the award just as much as I did. I’ve known him since youth level and the way he played here is what people can expect from him.

How were the post-title celebrations and what’s the trip back to Brazil going to be like?

Right now we’re just enjoying ourselves and having a big party (laughs). We had a big celebration in the dressing room, we’ll keep celebrating in the hotel and on the plane home and, once we’re back, we’ve already arranged a barbecue for everyone here so we can continue to savour this.

Cometh the hour, cometh the Oscar


Football is, to Brazilians, an obsession that is deeply ingrained in everyday life. So, when a Seleção crashed out of the FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finals last year, Brazilians were devastated. And when they missed all four of their penalties in a last-eight shoot-out defeat in the recent Copa America, they felt humiliated. Not even a handsomely hyped U-17 cast could relieve the sombre mood attached to the team in the canary-yellow shirts, losing 3-0 to Uruguay in a semi-final they were expected to walk last month.

Brazilian football desperately craved a lift. It was one hurdle away from receiving one heading into the FIFA U-20 World Cup final. Seventy-eight minutes into that match, having fallen behind after Oscar's deflected opener, they trailed 2-1 to Portugal. Brazil needed a hero. They found one. Oscar equalised to take an enthralling contest into extra time, before making it 3-2 to Brazil with 111 minutes on the clock. And that's how it finished, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in an U-20 World Cup final.

“It's an incredible moment in my life,” Oscar told FIFA.com. “To win the World Cup and to score the goals that did it is just indescribable. I believe I've had a really good World Cup, but the goals weren't going in for me and that gets you a lot of recognition. It was difficult for me because I have been playing through an injury for the last four matches. But today I managed to produce that defining performance, to play well and to score, so I'm very happy.”

“There was enormous emotion in the dressing room. Obviously our dream was close to being over, so that adds to it. We're really happy we managed to come back and give some joy to the Brazilian people. With the World Cup and the Copa America [disappointments], it's been a difficult year for Brazilian football. This title will give us a lift as we build towards 2014.”

Fortunately Oscar came to our rescue. There are no words to describe his performance. He's been outstanding for us all tournament.Danilo

Danilo, who was called into the senior Brazil squad earlier in the week, concurred with his team-mate: “Brazilian football was suffering. We've had some really difficult moments over the last year or so. Football is everything in Brazil, and nothing short of [winning a tournament] is close to being good enough.

“We came here really wanting to bring happiness back to the people. We've managed to do so, and hopefully the senior side will be able to build on this. These past few days have been the best of my life. To get called up by Mano Menezes and then to win the U-20 World Cup is just amazing.

“Our victory is a real achievement. We were 2-1 down, there was little time remaining, and Portugal are very difficult to score against. But fortunately for us Oscar came to our rescue. There are no words to describe his performance.

“He's been outstanding for us all tournament. Henrique's had a brilliant tournament too, and scored five goals, but without wanting to take anything away from him I think Oscar has been the best player of the whole tournament.”

Brazil captain Bruno Uvini added: “[Oscar's] an incredible passer, but I've always seen him scoring lots of goals. It took a while for him to score in this competition, but I think he saved them all for the final. He was wonderful in this tournament, he really deserves congratulating. He deserved the Golden Ball, him and Henrique.”

And not even the prestigious award's recipient begged to differ. When asked who he thought deserved the prestigious award, Henrique responded: “I think I would choose Oscar, who had an excellent tournament. He helped the team a lot, playing in an unaccustomed position. He marked well, he got forward. He made a lot of assists, and scored the goals in the final which not anybody could have done. I think he deserved the [adidas Golden Ball] as much as I did.”

And while that Golden Ball will forever remain the property of Henrique, 20 August 2011 will eternally belong to Oscar.