Checking back in on the U-20 World Cup in Colombia!

What an exciting group stage it has been! Youth football is alive and well according to the performances we have seen thus far. In Group A we have the hosts Colombia sitting somewhat comfortably in 1st place with 6 points from 2 games. South Korea and France are tied for 2nd with a win and a loss each giving them 3 points a piece. Mali bring up the rear with 0 points from 2 matches. France face unlucky Mali in their last match after thrashing after suffering a big loss to the hosts in the opening match but defeating South Korea 3-1. Meanwhile, Colombia face-off against the South Koreans in a game both teams will really want to win. Group B has been a little less impressive, but there have been some great games as Portugal find themselves on top of the table with 4 points from 2 games while New Zealand and Uruguay have 2 points each. Cameroon are in 4th with a point. The last match ups include Portugal v.s. New Zealand and Uruguay v.s. Cameroon. Both will be close, hard-fought matches as the winners of the games will probably qualify for the next round. Moving on to Group C, Spain have essentially wrapped up their ticket to the next round with 6 points from 2 games while Costa Rica are almost there, holding 2nd place with 3 points. Australia and Ecuador are the teams that have everything to fight for though, each having 1 point meaning if Costa Rica loses or even ties, they leave the door open for either the Australians or the Ecuadorians to move forward in the tournament. Ecuador face the Costa Ricans while Australia hope for something in their match against undefeated Spain. And how about Group D? Things are wrapped up here with Nigeria and Saudi Arabia the clear winners each winning their 1st 2 games convincingly. Their match on the 6th will be about pride. The same is true of Croatia v.s. Guatemala. They have no chance of qualifying now so we will say good bye to them once the group stages are over. Group E on the other hand has been much less straight forward. Yes, Brazil and Egypt have 4 points each while Panama and Austria have 1 each; but the 3rd and 4th placed teams will give it their all. That is not to say that Brazil and Egypt wont, but Panama and Austria could be more motivated. As it stands presently though, Brazil are crushing the Panamanian's dreams 3-0 while Austria still cling to hope, only losing 1-0 in the 59th minute. Good luck to all of the teams! The last of the groups, F, is the first to be brought to a close. How did it end? Well, in tears for some and ecstasy for others. Here are the specifics: Argentina finished top with 2 wins and a draw, totaling to 7 points. Mexico finish 2nd by the very slightest of margins; winning, drawing, and losing once each for a total of 4 points. England tied all of their games for 3 points, while the North Koreans tied 1 and lost 2 for 1 point. Congrats to the teams that made it to the next round and better luck next time for the teams that missed out!