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發表於 2011-7-29 11:21 PM
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[新聞] [世青盃]Twenty-four teams, one trophy
The 15th century saw a plethora of explorers embark on expeditions to the New World, in search of glory and untold riches. Now, in 2011, Colombia, the nation that takes its name from the most famous of those pioneers, is welcoming the world to its shores for a very modern form of swashbuckling adventure.
More than 500 years since Christopher Columbus crossed the ocean, 24 teams from all corners of the globe have travelled to South America with their eyes on one glittering prize: the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The captain who manages to guide his crew to victory at the event will have the honour of brandishing aloft the striking silver trophy in Bogota on 20 August. Champions last time around in Egypt in 2009, Ghana’s plans of defending their crown were scuppered in qualifying, but five former winners are among the teams keen to succeed them.
Argentina (six wins), Brazil (four), Portugal (two), Spain and France (both one) not only have the proven pedigree, but can also boast squads brimming with players accustomed to competing at the top of the game. La Albiceleste’s Juan Iturbe and Erik Lamela, as well as A Seleção’s Oscar and Philippe Coutinho, have already proved themselves in some of the best leagues in the world, as have French prodigies Gael Kakuta and Antoine Griezmann.
Contenders out to etch new name on trophy
But despite their previous triumphs and the firepower they have at their disposal, these would-be conquerors are not going to have everything their own way in Colombia, especially not as far as the host nation is concerned. Led by winger James Rodriguez, fresh from a fantastic season with Porto, Los Cafeteros intend to combat any incursions into their territory by going on the offensive themselves, as they dream of a glorious conquest on home soil.
England, meanwhile, whose hopes at this level have often been sunk prematurely in the past, are determined to make their mark on the tournament once and for all. To achieve that aim, the English will need to negotiate some tough-looking group-stage encounters with Argentina, Mexico and Korea DPR.
Other nations arriving with the wind in their sails include Cameroon, Egypt, Mali and Nigeria, who hope to make it two African successes in a row at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, following on from Ghana’s eye-catching exploits two years ago. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on the other hand, has never previously supplied the champions, but Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia and Australia will attempt to rectify that record.
And despite the absence of USA for the first time since 1995, CONCACAF’s delegation is certainly not to be taken lightly, with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico in particular likely to provide their group opponents with stiff competition.
The remaining European qualifiers, namely Austria and Croatia, will also be confident of departing from the Americas with some newly-acquired silverware. While the Austrians reached the semi-finals in 2007, their last appearance in the competition, the Croatians’ record is not quite as impressive. Their only campaign ended in a Round-of-16 exit at the hands of Brazil in 1999, even though finishing above Argentina in the group phase was a notable achievement in itself.
South America’s other two representatives, Uruguay and Ecuador, may not have had as far to travel as most of the other teams present in Colombia, but both would still prefer to push back the return leg of their journey for as long as possible. Finally, New Zealand, the solitary Oceania side on show, will be aiming to improve on their first and last appearance in the competition in 2007, when they failed to pick up a single point. |
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