The
Argentine Under 23 Team
led by
Javier Mascherano
achieved an epic and historic qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which is being held twice.
Or triple.
The thing is, the former central midfielder's team not only won "a final" against his classic Brazil that got him into the competition in France, but also left him out.
And this victory adds to the ones he has had since the Copa América final at the Maracaná.
Last November the Senior National Team led by Lionel Scaloni obtained another resounding victory in Rio de Janeiro in the Qualifiers: it was 1-0 with a goal from Otamendi to stay ahead of the Qualifiers and give another slap to its historic rival.
Furthermore, with that victory, the national team was ahead in history (40 to 39) over the Verdeamarela.
Three days after the victory of the senior team at the
Maracaná
in the
Qualifiers
,
Argentina
repeated against
Brazil
in the classic, this time by beating them 3-0 and securing their place in the semifinals of the
U-17 World Cup
that was held in
Indonesia.
.
The triumph of the "albiceleste" led by
Diego Placente
came with a hat trick from
Claudio Echeverri
, alias El
Diablito
, the jewel of River Plate who would later be sold to Manchester City.
That superiority of the boys led by Placente came with the fresh memory of the Scaloneta triumph in Rio de Janeiro, breaking a historic streak of the Canarinha playing at home in the senior World Cup qualification.
But it also leaves an unprecedented scenario that reaffirms Argentina's paternity over Brazil.
The National Team won the last classics that it played in the most important competitions in each category: Senior World Cup, Under 20 World Cup, Olympic Games, Copa América, the aforementioned Qualifiers and Under 17 World Cup and now it extended that streak with the victory of the group directed by Mascherano.
To what was done in Indonesia, the Maracaná and the Pre-Olympic in Venezuela we must then add the last duel in
the World Cup
, that unforgettable 1-0 in
Italia 90
thanks to chance and the connection between
Diego Armando Maradona
and
Claudio Caniggia
, who dribbled past Taffarel like Little Devil did it this Friday.
Caniggia leaves Taffarel behind and becomes eternal.
Photo: AP Photo / Luca Bruno.
The precedent for the
Under 20 World Cup
occurred in 2005, the one that saw Messi shining for the first time in light blue and white, lifting the Cup. It was a 2-1 victory with a goal from Leo and another from Pablo Zabaleta on the hour mark, to get into the final.
At the 2008
Olympic Games
in Beijing, Messi appeared again, also in the semifinals.
Argentine soccer was preparing to win its second gold medal in soccer and to do so it had to beat Ronaldinho
's Brazil
: it was 3-0 with two goals from
Kun Agüero
and one from
Juan Román Riquelme
, from a penalty.
Messi hugs his friend Dinho: it was 3-0 for the Albiceleste in China.
Photo: EFE / Tibor Illyes.
It is worth remembering the clash of the Senior National Team in the Copa América, in the final of the
Copa América 2021
that was played in Brazil.
The 1-0 with a goal from Di María gave Argentina its first title after 28 years of drought, and the beginning of one of the most glorious stages of Argentine football.
Enjoy.
The 1-0 with a goal from Luciano Gondou that gave the victory over Brazil and the qualification for the Argentine National Team adds a fact that does not appear in the statistics: in addition to surpassing it in the history and the sum of victories, the light blue shirt and Blanca ends up celebrating in transcendental matches.
That, added to the numbers, makes clear an unprecedented superiority over the five-time world champion.