Albiceleste Under 20s give us a glimpse of football’s future

This week, Argentina's latest step in the quest for world football domination kicked off. If that were not intriguing enough, there is also a new technology on trial that could change the game and that ever-thorny topic of how it is officiated.

The Under-20 World Cup in Chile, which Argentina have opened with back-to-back wins, is showing off football's latest innovation, FVS (Football Video Support). Instead of referees and VAR officials having the final say over whether a decision is reviewed or not, team coaches now have a 'green card,' which they can issue to dispute goal, penalty or red card calls. It is similar to the system currently used in professional hockey, with each side limited to two challenges. Argentina have made ample use of their challenges early in the tournament, to mixed results: but what of the actual performance on the pitch for Diego Placente's intrepid young charges?

The bar was admittedly low going in. In 2023 the U-20 team coached by the hapless Javier Mascherano failed to qualify altogether for the World Cup after a calamitous showing in the South American Championship of that year where they lost three of their opening four group games and couldn't even make it to the final round. Only a curious twist of fate saved Mascherano's blushes: host nation Indonesia was expelled after refusing to accept Israel as a participant, and the ever-opportunistic Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia was on hand to volunteer Argentina as a last-minute alternate, slipping the nation into the finals via the back door. Once there the Albiceleste kids won all three of their group but came immediately unstuck to Nigeria in the last 16, a rapid and uninspiring end to their hopes of World Cup glory.

So far things are looking rather better. Sunday's opening match against Cuba finished in a comfortable 3-1 win, despite losing Santiago Fernández to a red card after just 10 minutes after he was punished for a non-existent offence – upheld despite Placente resorting to a green card. Alejo Sarco, who plays his club football in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, was the hero of the night with two goals as he formed a lethal partnership with Vélez Sarsfield wonderkid Maher Carrizo. River Plate youngster Ian Subiabre rounded off the game with a vicious late strike for Argentina's third of the game.

Sarco wasted no time in converting his third goal of the World Cup in the opening minutes against Australia after muscling his marker out of the way of a terrific pass from deep. The strike was initially disallowed, but this time Placente had better luck with his challenge and justice was served. 

Thirty-five minutes into the game Argentina got their second VFS break. Defender Tomás Pérez was bundled over in his own box after some lackadaisical passing from the Albiceleste, leading to Australia's equaliser; but the referee upheld Argentina's second challenge in half an hour and deemed the contact made by Tomás Quintal prior to scoring was indeed illicit. In that neat way these things often work in football, Pérez then popped up in the Australia area to make it 2-0 thanks to some nice play from Carrizo.

If Argentina were made to sweat despite their dominance it was largely down to goalkeeper Santino Barbi, whose inexplicable mistake gift-wrapped a goal for Australia with just over 20 minutes to go and rattled plenty of nerves. But they pulled through and were good value for the win, with Subiabre capping another scintillating cameo off the bench with his second goal of the tournament and fellow substitute Santino Andino also hitting a belter late on to seal a 4-1 win. 

Qualification is in the bag: next up is the biggest test yet in the shape of unbeaten Italy. Placente's kids will not be able to afford the mistakes that almost cost them on Wednesday, but there is plenty to like in this brash, flowing team packed with attacking talent that already looks far more accomplished than in that abortive attempt on the title back in 2023.