ROUND OF 16: Taeguk test for roaring Spanish Roja
Spain waltzed into the Round of 16 having won all three matches and scored 11 goals in the process. Korea Republic went through having lost their last two outings. Will it prove the mismatch many expect, or will David conquer Goliath amid the Manizales mountains?
The game
Spain-Korea Republic, Wednesday 10 August, Manizales, 17.00 (local time)
The stakes
Julen Lopetegui and Lee Kwang Jong both have all their players at their disposal as they plot their way into a quarter-final against Brazil or Saudi Arabia. The former will have some difficult decisions to make, given that he rested a couple of first-choice players during a 5-1 win over Australia in which the incomers impressed. Sergio Canales has dazzled after missing Spain's opener through injury, while Rodrigo and Alvaro Vazquez have both showcased their finishing prowess. The collective work of the Korea Republic team is regarded as their strength, though in Lee Ki Je and Kim Young Uk they have players capable of turning a game. Can they tick a box that three teams failed to in the first phase and find a way to neutralise La Roja's gorgeous passing football?
The stat
6 – goals is what made the first half of Spain's victory over Australia the joint-highest scoring period in FIFA U-20 World Cup history. La Roja were 5-1 up after 31 minutes, and that is how it finished. Korea Republic were involved in the other six-goal half, though they trailed 6-0 to Brazil en route to a 10-3 loss in 1997.
The words
Sergi Roberto, Spain forward: “Korea Republic are very disciplined and have a lot of speed. They will be very tough to beat. This is a World Cup. We know how important this game is. If we lose we are going home. It's like a final for us. We have to win to be in the quarter-finals.”
Choi Sung Guen, Korea Republic midfielder: “Spain are a strong side with good skills, possession of the ball, a good passing game. So we, even our forwards, have to put pressure on them so that we'll be able to play our own game. The confidence is building up within the group, and we're eager to surprise the world [by beating Spain]."
Round of 16: Saudis threaten Brazil advance
Brazil and Saudi Arabia meet for the third time in the FIFA U-20 World Cup on Wednesday. Of the previous two matches between the two, A Seleçãozinha won one and drew the other, and there is every reason to expect a close encounter in Barranquilla after both sides advanced from the group phase in some style.
The game
Brazil-Saudi Arabia, Wednesday 10 August, Barranquilla, 20.00 (local time)
The stakes
Brazil began a tournament many are expecting them to win with an underwhelming draw against Egypt before hitting their stride with big victories over Austria and Panama. Nevertheless, coach Ney Franco does have some concerns, especially at the back, having been forced to make two first-half substitutions in Brazil’s final group game against the Panamanians in a bid to address their defensive failings.
Franco is pondering whether to stick with the players who came on then, and push makeshift full-back Danilo into a more familiar midfield role. He has no such problems up front, where Henrique, Philippe Coutinho, Oscar and the versatile Casemiro have been carving out chance after chance with their snappy passing and fluid movement, which could yet provide the key to the country’s fifth world title at this level.
Brazil’s back-line will need to be at its tightest against the dangerous Saudis. Prompted by the pacy duo of Ibrahim Alibrahim and Yahya Dagriri, the Saudis scored eight goals in their opening two group games, seven of them by different players, before turning in a listless display against Nigeria, one that left coach Khalid Alkoroni an unhappy man. Even so, the Middle Easterners had already qualified for the last 16 by then (for the first time ever at the FIFA U-20 World Cup), and are justifiably confident they can cause an upset.
The stat
17 - The number of times that Brazil have appeared at the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals and the number of times they have reached the second round. On only one occasion have they been knocked out in the last 16, however, at Canada 2007.
The words
“We need to make a few adjustments for the next round because whoever loses that game is going home. Saudi Arabia scored eight goals in the group phase and they’re an attack-minded side so we need to up our game to avoid any surprises,” Brazil coach Ney Franco.
“We scored eight goals in two games, but we rushed things a little bit in our last game and there are a few problems we need to sort out up front. We won’t have any problem getting motivated for the next match, though,” Saudi Arabia coach Khalid Alkoroni.
ROUND OF 16: Nigeria and England, Clash of styles in Armenia
Getty ImagesThe game between Nigeria and England in the Round of 16 of FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 pits the African side’s attack - the highest scoring in the group stages - against a watertight English backline that is yet to concede a goal.
The game
Nigeria-England, Armenia, 10 August, 17.00 (local time)
The stakes
Given their outstanding record in Group D, when they notched up three emphatic wins against Guatemala, Croatia and Saudi Arabia, coach John Obuh’s highly motivated and well-drilled Nigerian side are certainly the form team in this tie. The canny coach will also hope his prolific pairing of Ahmed Musa and Olarenwaju Kayode can continue a purple patch that has seen them claim half their team’s goal tally to date.
Their defence may be impregnable, but three games into this edition and England are still without a win. This unwanted run goes back to a 1-0 victory over Mexico in 1997, a winless streak at FIFA U-20 World Cup final tournaments now stretching to 13 games. Though the pressure is on coach Brian Eastick to find a solution to his side’s difficulties in front of goal, the supremo remains defiant: “It’s no use scoring if you’re letting in three at the other end". Even so, on the evidence of the Nigerians’ performances so far, goalkeeper Jack Butland is sure to have plenty to do on Wednesday.
The stat
12 – The number of goals scored by Nigeria in the group phase at Colombia 2011, more than any other team. In stark contrast, England qualified for the last 16 on the back of three goalless draws.
The words
“The Nigeria game will be difficult, but every game we’ve played has been harder than the last! We’ll be facing powerful players who are very quick and very fit. Nigeria are favourites, but we’ve made it past the group stages and we have to try and win,” England coach Brian Eastick.
“The team have been working together for a long time and of course our goal is to keep progressing and be successful in the long term. But for the time being I’m not looking any further than our next match, and I know that there are some great teams standing between us and the title, such as Brazil, Argentina and Colombia,” Nigeria coach John Obuh.
ROUND OF 16: Costa Rican coach Gonzalez plots Colombian downfall
Costa Rica coach Ronald Gonzalez turned 41 on Monday 8 August; over half of those years have been spent forging an intriguing and successful path in the world of football. As a player, he was part of the golden generation of Ticos who starred in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy™ under the wily Bora Milutinovic, a mentor who had a significant influence on his one-time protégé.
And despite being the youngest man in charge of a team at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, Gonzalez is currently preparing to oversee his eleventh match overall at the event, an achievement that would see him enter an illustrious top ten of youth coaches that includes eminent names such as Jose Pekerman, Inaki Saez, Victor Pua and Carlos Queiroz, among others.
But Tuesday’s match is not simply a statistic, because the Central Americans face the might of Colombia, the host nation and one of the main contenders for the U-20 crown. On paper, the clash has an uneven look to it: Los Cafeteros ran away with Group A, collecting nine points out of nine, while the Costa Ricans finished third in Group C, with one victory and two defeats to show for their efforts.
We’ll need to show better organisation, initiative and concentration that we’ve done up to now.Costa Rica coach Ronald Gonzalez
“We’ve achieved our main objective, although we’re certainly not happy with all of the results so far,” remarked Gonzalez to FIFA.com. “Losing heavily twice wasn’t part of our plan; that’s why I was pretty annoyed. But that’s done and dusted now. The group stage is behind us and now we have to take the game to Colombia, because our aim is to get as far as we can,” continued the ex-international defender.
Just how is he going to go about beating the hosts? “Good question!” he exclaimed, adding, “No team’s done it yet, so it’s not going to be a straightforward task. We’ll need to show better organisation, initiative and concentration that we’ve done up to now. We’ll also have to improve on our finishing.”
History lessons
If any Colombian fans thought that the result of the upcoming Round-of-16 encounter was a foregone conclusion, they may need to revise their opinion come Tuesday night, if Gonzalez’s attitude is anything to go by. He learned many things from Milutinovic, including an ability to envisage defeating any opponent, no matter their calibre.
“21 years ago, Bora told me that a football game is just eleven men against eleven. And I tell my players the same thing: the gaps between teams have narrowed; there’s much more of a level playing field these days. There aren’t really any secrets any more, and it’s very easy to study and gain information on your opponents,” he explained.
To prove that the Serbian strategist’s theory has some credence, it is sufficient to look back at what occurred at the same stage of the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, when Costa Rica, under Gonzalez’s tutelage, took on hosts Egypt in Cairo. Fans, press and media alike predicted a comfortable victory for the home side in the last-16 meeting, but Los Ticos pulled off a fine 2-0 victory and went on to reach the semi-finals.
“We can draw on that experience. Back then, the Colombians got a bit of a shock when they faced us. This time around, we hope to rise to the occasion once again,” said the former Deportivo Saprissa captain.
For those in search of additional signs that an upset might be on the cards, they need look no further than Saudi Arabia 1989, when a Colombia team including Oscar Cordoba, Jorge Bermudez and Ivan Valenciano lost 1-0 to Costa Rica in the group phase. The late winner that day was scored by none other than Ronald Gonzalez.
“Colombia had a great side, but my free kick in the 88th minute was enough to win the game. Can we beat them like that again? Well, it’ll be difficult for me to score this time!” he pointed out, laughing.
“That’s what we’re hoping for, of course, but I also want to remain respectful towards Colombian football and their coach, Eduardo Lara, who’s a real gentleman. They’re no doubt in a better state of mind than us right now, but I hope to pass on my experience to my players so that they can use it to their advantage,” added the Costa Rican tactician.
Victory in the match would constitute an ideal birthday present for Gonzalez, but he also admits that he would derive satisfaction from more basic accomplishments. “As long as they put in the effort and demonstrate what I know they’re capable of, I’ll be pretty pleased,” he concluded.
Colombia face Gonzalez threat again
Hosts Colombia will come up against an old foe when they take on Costa Rica in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011. Tico coach Ronald Gonzalez was the man who scored the goal that downed Los Cafeteros in the group phase of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Saudi Arabia 1989, and will be hoping to inspire a repeat performance from the dugout on Tuesday.
The game
Colombia-Costa Rica, Tuesday 9 August, Bogota, 20.00 (local time)
The stakes
Colombia have been in mightily impressive form in front of their own fans so far, winning all three of their games in Group A while scoring seven goals and conceding just the one. Eduardo Lara’s side return to their El Campin stronghold in Bogota against Los Ticos, confident of taking another step forward in what would be Colombia’s first world title of any description. Although Lara is not expected to make any changes to a settled line-up, he may well be asking five of his players to watch their step, with Pedro Franco, James Rodriguez, Juan Cabezas, Jeison Murillo and Santiago Arias all on yellow cards and just another one away from missing a potential quarter-final.
The Central Americans were far less impressive in winning through to this stage, finishing third in Group C after winning one and losing two of their games, and they will be without the suspended Yeltsin Tejeda for this game. Coach Ronald Gonzalez knows what it takes to beat Colombia, however, having scored the goal that gave Los Ticos a first-round victory over a Cafetero team containing Oscar Cordoba, Jorge Bermudez and Ivan Valenciano at the FIFA U-20 World Cup some 22 years ago.
The stat
2 - The number of goals Costa Rica scored in eliminating host nation Egypt at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2009, a win masterminded by current coach Gonzalez, who will have a similar outcome in mind against the Colombians.
The words
“You can’t afford to make the slightest mistake from this round on. We’re starting to feel the physical effects now but I can’t ask any more of these boys. Playing in Bogota suits us because we can feel the support of the whole of Colombia there, which makes us stronger. We’re on the right track,” Colombia coach Eduardo Lara.
“Losing to Ecuador was a very bitter pill to swallow, though I’m glad we’ve been given another opportunity to step things up a level. I don’t mind the fact that it’s against Colombia in their backyard, because we’re going to give the best possible account of ourselves,” Costa Rica coach Ronald Gonzalez.
