Argentina-New Zealand: the Under 20s were a machine, they vibrated with the public in San Juan and won their group with a victory

The logic occurred on the afternoon of San Juan and there was no equivalence: Argentina thrived and beat New Zealand 5-0 to finish with an ideal score in Group A and advance to the round of 16 of the World Cup. Now, next Wednesday from 18:00 they will face the third of group C/D/E in this same province.

The duel served the coach Javier Mascherano to give rest to some of the players who had played the first two games and to the public to discover other players, those who accumulated fewer shots. Or more precisely: to get to know them a little better.

Perhaps, Luka Romero is the one who causes the most expectations in the thousands of teenagers who fill the pitches every time the national team plays. Lazio’s talented southpaw is usually one of the highest numbers in the applause meters when the voice of the stadium announces the starters. And last night he showed why there is so much hope for him: he played a great match. Masche has chosen to field him inside on the left, as he has done in this tournament, and not as a winger, a role in which he made his debut in Mallorca a couple of years ago. From that sector of the pitch he commanded most of the national team’s attacks in pure acceleration. He is a midfielder who tramples the area, plus: in 15 minutes he had already finished three times from the penalty spot.

The goal he scored will remain in the memory of the almost 30,000 present at the Bicentenary. It is hateful, unfair and dangerous to compare Romero to Messi. But that great goal he scored against the Oceanicos doesn’t help much. And the similarities aren’t in that powerful left foot that was pinned in the corner, but in the way he held the ball early in the play. In a goal that Messi scored against Zaragoza in 2010, the kinship can be found. Questions to improve? Some, sure. After all, it’s written about an 18-year-old boy. Sometimes he moves the ball too much.

Another interesting thing to analyze is Federico Redondoson of Ferdinand. He has a different elegance from his father, the current Argentinos player, but he is also showy. He likes to play alone in the middle and not share his piece of the field with anyone. Play one touch, at most two, and it is always well stopped. He looks like a Spanish midfielder, in the style of Busquets and Rodri. And he plays by shaking his head from side to side, looking at how and where each of his partners is. We should see him against a more powerful rival who doesn’t give him much freedom to handle the ball.

The third in the featured list was Gino Infantino, the Rosario Central midfielder who has already been playing for a long time. He started from inside on the right and played every minute with seriousness and commitment. He scored a good goal -on the wall with Romero- also appearing in the opposite sector. He has a good left foot, a strong physique and a good reading of the game. Not in vain was the weakness of Carlos Tevez.

The asterisk must be done with Brian Aguirre, Newell striker who has more dribbling than Garrincha. It’s surprising to him how easily he has to get rid of rivals. Plus, he’s vertical to the extreme: he looks out into everything. The first Argentine goal came after his overflow and header by Ignacio Maestro Puch. But on repeated occasions she abused the individual, tackling or finishing the goal when he had an easy pass. Something else: he was encouraged to deliver an Olympic corner shortly after half-time. It would be convenient to show this huge footballer project (which has some little things from Alejandro Garnacho, the one who couldn’t come) when Messi has decided to look for an Olympian dressed in a blue and white shirt. In the second half he managed to score his penalty and continued to dribble past anyone who got in his way.

And Mascherano deserves a separate paragraph. In this World Championship you are seeing an excellent work by Masche. He emulated Guardiola and played with Ignacio Miramón as a winger to defend and as a midfielder to attack. Although the gymnastics footballer was not well, the intention was good. Y indicates planning and rehearsal.

The Under 20s had a great time in San Juan. Already towards the end, Alejo Véliz headed in to make it 5-0, making the day a complete party.