Argentina U23, undefeated and scoring nearly three goals per match, but had to beat Brazil to become Olympic

Although the defeat would have left the team on the brink of abyss, The painful draw of the Argentine U-23 team against Paraguay left a bitter taste in the hearts of the championsWho hoped to defeat the Perugia to direct his course in Pre-Olympic.

Javier Mascherano's side is practically counting on itself ahead of the match against Brazil next Sunday, but only a set of results, including Thursday's match between Canarena and Venezuela, will allow it to secure a ticket to Paris 2024 through a draw with the current Olympic champion. Therefore, equality, which transcends forms and times, did not satisfy the Argentine delegation.

In reality, The Albiceleste have the potential to remain unbeaten without qualifyingAs they were unbeaten in the entire tournament: they had two wins (Peru and Chile) and four draws (Paraguay twice, Uruguay and Venezuela), including their last three matches.

They are the highest-scoring team in the pre-Olympics – they celebrated 16 times in 6 performances, nearly 3 a night – but they are also the highest scoring (they conceded 9 goals, practically 2 in each game). Thiago Almada is the team's top scorer (5), but Luciano Jundo (3), Aaron Quiros (2), Santiago Castro, Baltasar Rodriguez, Francisco Gonzalez, Pablo Solari, Federico Redondo (1) complete the very diverse festive list.

However, one of the big drawbacks of Masche's group, which never stops capturing an idea on the field, is Defensive fragility. The right flank, weakened from the start by the loss of Julian Malatini and then plagued by injuries, is a test match by match, while the other casualties are due to physical problems and suspensions (the suspended Valentin Barco and Gonzalo Lujan, who were not available today). , if they were to return on Sunday) did not allow the coach to keep the starting lineup.

Leandro Berry, the team's primary goalkeeper, and a constant for the coach, did not provide security either, as he alternated between good saves and blunders on the opponent's goals. What the team generates in the opponent's goal suffers from it in itself, as it is sometimes unbalanced in transitions and receives a lot of opportunities it generates, which is not fully formed in the attack.

Beating Brazil would mean a double prize: getting the Olympic quota, and in the process eliminating the perennial contender who arrived in Venezuela with Endrik as his star. But the setback will not only leave Mascherano on the brink of the abyss (he himself admitted on Thursday that this could mean his departure), but will also constitute a new failure of this cycle at the youth team level.