Brazil faces shock elimination at U-20 World Cup

FE Team | Published: July 08, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

OTTAWA, Jul 7 (AP): A stunning win by the United States Friday has put four-time champion Brazil on the brink of a possible shock elimination from the Under-20 World Cup.
The 2-1 defeat left Brazil third after the completion of group D, and reliant upon other results to sneak into the second round as one of the four best-performed third-placed teams among the six groups.
The U.S. victory meant they finished top of the group and thereby get to play one of those third-placed wildcards in the second round.
Aside from 1979, when they did not take part, Brazil has been among the final eight at every U-20 World Cup-which is being held for the 16th time-and has won it four times, but that proud record could be at an end.
With North Korea having finished third in group E with an inferior record to Brazil, the South Americans still have a reasonable hope of being one of those third-placed wildcards, with everything hinging on the final games in other groups.
For Brazil to be eliminated, Republic of Congo must beat struggling hosts Canada in group A, either Zambia or Jordan win in their respective group B games, the Portugal-Gambia game in group C either be a draw or a narrow Gambia win, and the Scotland-Costa Rica game in group F be a decisive win to either.
It is an unlikely, but possible, sequence of events that will have Brazil nervously watching on over the weekend.
Brazil's arch rival Argentina did progress to the second round Friday, along with Poland and the Czech Republic.
Jozy Altidore scored both goals for the United States, with the winner coming in the 81st minute.
The New York Red Bulls forward put the U.S. ahead in the 12th minute, but Brazil equalized through Leandro Lima in the 64th.
The Americans spent much of the second half camped in their own half, but in a rare break forward, Freddy Adu dribbled in from the right and his shot rebounded off a defender to Altidore, who was on hand to knock the ball into an empty net.
In the other group D match, Dawid Janczyk scored his second goal of the tournament just before halftime as Poland drew 1-1 with South Korea to take second place and a berth in the second round.
Poland will meet Argentina in the second round, in Toronto Thursday.