(Venezuela) Valencia Brazil recovered from a crushing 6-0 loss to Argentina in their opening match of the U-20 South American Championship on Sunday with a much-needed 2-1 victory over Bolivia. However, Argentina tied Colombia 1-1, securing their position as Group B leaders.
In the face of tremendous pressure after the Brazilian team’s dismal start to the competition, which gives four spots to this year’s U-20 World Cup in Venezuela, Gabriel Moscardo addressed the media on their behalf. The midfielder said, “We apologize to the fans, but it’s not over yet,” after Friday’s game.
In the 14th minute of Sunday’s match, Moscardo, a Paris Saint-Germain player presently on loan at Reims, opened the scoring with a strong header from Pedrinho’s corner kick.
In the 28th minute, Breno Bidon doubled the lead with a long-range effort. Ramon Menezes’ team struggled, though, as Bolivia’s Mark Rodríguez grabbed one back in the 47th minute, putting pressure on the Canarinha to find a way to draw the score, but they were ultimately unable to do so.
Argentina led the group with four points after their tie with Colombia, followed closely by Ecuador and Brazil, both of whom had three, and Colombia, who had one. Bolivia still has no points.
Colombia took the lead in the 33rd minute when Óscar Perea deftly finished in front of goalkeeper Santino Barbi following a quick counterattack in which he brilliantly cut back to avoid his opponent. Santino Andino helped Claudio ‘El Diablito’ Echeverri equalize with a well-placed shot just three minutes later.
In just two games at this U-20 South American Championship, Echeverri had scored three goals.
Colombia had multiple strong chances to win their first game following a bye in the first round, but goalie Barbi played a strong defense.
On Monday, Group A will begin play with Chile playing Peru at 21:00 GMT and Uruguay, the 2023 U-20 World Champions with their former young team, playing Paraguay at 23:30 GMT. Venezuela, the host country, will take the day off.
