2001 FIFA World Youth Championship final
Football match
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship final was the final match and culmination of the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, hosted by Argentina. The game was played at the José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires on 8 July 2001 and was contested between Argentina and Ghana. The match was won by Argentina, 3–0, obtaining their fourth FIFA U-20 World Cup title.[1]
José Amalfitani Stadium in 2024 | |||||||
| Event | 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 8 July 2001 | ||||||
| Venue | José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Referee | Manuel Mejuto González (Spain) | ||||||
| Attendance | 32,000 | ||||||
Background
The hosts, Argentina, who were playing a tournament at home for the first time since the 1978 FIFA World Cup,[2] had easily reached the final by defeating rivals in both group and knockout stages by a margin of more than two goals, with the exception of the round of 16 match against China, which ended 2–1.[2] Previously, the South Americans had defeated Finland (2–0), Egypt (7–1), and Jamaica 5–1.[3][4][5] After winning its game against China, the Argentines defeated France in the quarterfinals (3–1) and Paraguay in the semifinals by a crushing score of 5–0.[6]
In Group F, Ghana had defeated Paraguay and Iran while ending in a goalless draw in its match against France.[7][8] At the round of 16 game, the African team earned a 1–0 victory against Ecuador and defeated Brazil in the quarterfinals, with John Mensah scoring a golden goal in the 93rd minute of extra time.[9][8]
Match
The final match took place at the José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires on 8 July 2001 before 32,000 spectators. Spanish referee Manuel Mejuto González was appointed for the final, with assistant referees José Ramírez Díaz of Mexico and Simeon Tsolakidis of Greece.[10]
Argentina completely dominated the game,[11] opening the score in the sixth minute when Diego Colotto beat the Ghanaian goalkeeper Maxwell Banahene to put the albiceleste forward 1–0.[10] In the 14th minute, Argentina's star player Javier Saviola scored the second goal after a head kick.[10] After Saviola's goal, the Argentines contained Ghanaian offensives and took control of the ball possession.[10] In the 73rd minute, Maxi Rodríguez scored the final goal after an assist by Andrés D'Alessandro to put Argentina forward by a margin of three goals.[10][12]
Referee Mejuto González issued a total of three yellow cards, two to Ghanaian players (John Mensah and Sulley Muntari) while defender Leonardo Ponzio was the Argentine player shown the card.[10]
Summary
Assistant referees:
José Ramírez Díaz (Mexico)
Simeon Tsolakidis (Greece)
Legacy
Argentine media largely consider the team of 2001 as a trailblazer, highlighting the figures of D'Alessandro, Maxi Rodríguez and Saviola as the most outstanding.[11][12] The title also crowned the golden era lived by Argentine youth teams under the managership of José Pekerman.[2][13] Argentina would win its next under-20 World Cup four years later in the Netherlands, where Lionel Messi debuted in the national youth team.[14][15] Ghana, on the other side, won the title in 2009 by defeating Brazil in the final of the tournament held in Egypt.[16][17]