Under-17 World Cup 2007 - Swinging Sauro

Argentina put in a solid display to defeat Costa Rica 2-0 on 30 August in Goyang City, and now take their place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007. Both PIBITOS goals came from the head of Gaston SAURO, supplied by pinpoint crosses from Santiago FERNANDEZ.
Argentina, coached by Miguel Angel TOJO, started the match the stronger, though neither side was able to find their rhythm in a disjointed opening period. As is so often the case on these tense occasions, it took a set piece to break the stalemate. On the 25-minute mark, FERNANDEZ whipped a corner over to the far post, where SAURO arrived to plant a firm header into the net.

TOJO said "I'd like to congratulate Costa Rica because they gave us a very tough game. We won because we were effective from set-piece situations, always a useful weapon in close-fought matches like this, but we didn't put in a particularly sparkling performance during the game itself. This team may not be overflowing with individual talent, but it's packed with typical Argentinian qualities like grit, hard work and intelligence, which is what saw us through."

Their second came 16 minutes later, in an almost identical passage of play, SAURO using his head to finish another sumptuous FERNANDEZ delivery. Costa Rica coach Manuel URENA changed things around after the break, unleashing forwards Josue MARTINEZ and Marcos URENA from the bench. However, despite the latter's best efforts, the Argentinian defence held strong throughout and ensured their team's place in the last eight.

SAURO said "I'm very happy to have scored two goals, especially because they sent us through to the quarter-finals. It was a difficult game, but we were able to use set pieces to good effect - those situations can often prove decisive. Next up are Nigeria, who are very difficult opponents with extremely strong players. We'll stay faithful to our style, however, and I fully believe that we can win the match."