The juniors are tops too
With teams finishing second, third and seventh, the south American confederation has reason to feel satisfied. Brazil beat their old rivals Argentina in the semifinal, although this result is not a true reflection of the match. The question that has to be asked is whether the tactically excellent Argentina side would have been able to hold Ghana in the final. Brazil went through highs and lows during the tournament. After a convincing opening win, they played no better than average football against two supposedly weaker teams. But they managed an upswing in their form curve at the right moment and achieved their aim of reaching the final. The turning point for Argentina was the sending off of La Paglia in the semifinal. Until this moment the "gauchos" had played really well, but losing their playmaker was a blow that they could not shake off. For the host team, Ecuador, the qualification for the quarter finals has to be rated as a success. They came through from an evenly-balanced group thanks to a mixture of skill and luck. That they could not hold their own against Argentina in an all south American quarter final was not much of a disappointment.