Chapter 64: The First Among the Younger Generation

Once again, the Egyptian football team, who were trailing, naturally went all-out in their attack, but could not score. The Brazilian team, now one player down after a red card, was also aware of their disadvantage and realistically played more defensively.

Kaka, the gifted Brazilian midfielder, had an enthusiastic performance. More than just providing assists to his teammates, he certainly wanted to score a goal himself. His current tally stood at seven goals, tying him with Adriano, the Brazilian striker who had scored the first goal of the match, for second place in the top scorers' list. He trailed only Saviola, the Argentine striker who had scored three goals in the previous match, by a single goal, so the race for the golden boot award was still on.

While the top scorer award might be just a title for others, it represented tangible rewards for Kaka through a points-based incentive system. Unfortunately, his Brazilian teammates lacked the desire to attack, or perhaps the match against Egypt was too important, and with only a few minutes remaining, no one dared to take risks in pushing forward.

Kaka's personality, of course, prioritized the bigger picture of winning the match, but when opportunities arose, he would still go all-out in attack. His surging runs were still quite effective, and Kaka succeeded in carrying the football into the Egyptian penalty area. Under tight marking from the opponents, he managed to pull off a long-range shot, albeit a rather wayward one without much precision.

Although he didn't score, the shot did temporarily disrupt the all-out Egyptian attack, leaving them in a dilemma for a moment. However, they were soon relieved as the ninety minutes quickly elapsed. The Brazilian coach, Costonho, used his final substitution, and then the injury-time dragged on.

"The match has ended. Congratulations to the Brazilian team for defeating their opponents and advancing to the final," the commentator announced. "Although they were very dominant in the group stage and easily overcame their opponents in the round of 16, their progress in both the quarterfinals and this semifinal was not as smooth. They must make adjustments promptly..."

Despite the turbulent journey, the Brazilian team achieved the desired result of reaching the final. Although Costonho was not entirely satisfied with the team's performance, he refrained from overly criticizing the young players. After some simple motivational talks, he began his usual pep talk routine.

Similar to the previous round, while Brazil had to exhaust all their efforts to narrowly defeat their opponents, Argentina easily secured victory on the other side of the bracket.

Saviola, the Argentine striker, opened the scoring for his team in the 17th minute. He dribbled and broke through from outside the penalty area. As the two Paraguayan central defenders collided while attempting to block him, the Argentine striker who caused the "accident" had no intention of stopping to report it. Instead, he seized the opportunity to strike, and the football found its way into the bottom-left corner without any suspense.

"1-0!" the commentators shouted.

Merely nine minutes later, Rodriguez made a cross from the right flank, and once again, it was Saviola who arrived in time to tap the football into the empty net.

"2-0!" 

Before the end of the first half, Alessandro intercepted the football in midfield and played a brilliant pass from outside the penalty area, allowing Romagnoli to flick the football into the net with his heel from a tight angle on the left side of the penalty area.

"3-0!" the crowd roared.

In stoppage time of the first half, Paraguayan defender Jimenez committed a malicious foul on Bonzio, resulting in a red card from the referee, adding insult to injury for Paraguay who were now down to ten men.

In the second half, with the teams switching sides, the rampant Argentinians could not be stopped. In the 52nd minute, Deasandro scored from 25 meters out, extending the lead to 4-0.

In the 70th minute, Budiso's cross from the left was met by Herrera's close-range strike, which found the top-left corner, making it "5-0!"

This was also the final score of the match. The Argentinians celebrated their triumph in front of their home fans, proudly marching into the final against Brazil.

"Brazil vs. Argentina, what a... well, never mind, the reporters have something to write about again," the commentator quipped about the mouth-watering final.

The news then reported, "Brazil, down to 10 men, narrowly defeated Egypt 2-1. Brazil's number 10, Kaka, once again proved to be the decisive factor. Meanwhile, Argentina thrashed Paraguay 5-0 in a home massacre. Their leading scorer, Saviola, netted a brace, becoming the hero who led Argentina's youth team to victory..."

"In the latest news, Barcelona and River Plate have reached an agreement regarding the transfer of Saviola. He will sign with the Spanish giants on July 6th for a transfer fee of 25 million euros on a six-year contract. Reports suggest that Barcelona had previously been undecided between Kaka and Saviola. After Brazil's victory over Australia, Barcelona's famous scout, Bosio, even had a secret meeting with Kaka at a hotel. However, after Saviola's hat-trick that sent the French team home, there was no further development between Barcelona and Kaka..."

"Both the Brazilian and Argentine teams finished as group leaders, and they did not face any formidable challenges in the group stage. It wasn't until the round of 16 that China posed some difficulties for the Argentine team, while Brazil easily defeated Australia 4-0 in the same round before encountering tough battles against Ghana and Egypt..."

"In six matches, Brazil has scored 19 goals and conceded only 3, while Argentina has netted 24 goals and conceded 4. They can be considered the teams with the strongest attacking force and most solid defense in this youth World Cup. In terms of individual performances, Saviola, who has already scored ten goals, is the hot favorite for the golden boot award, followed by Kaka and Adriano, who have both scored seven goals. It's worth noting that Kaka is a midfielder, and he has also provided five assists, making him the current assist leader..."

"Before this youth World Cup, it was generally believed that Saviola would be the standout star, and even the most talented young players from other teams would be a step below the Argentine, who was already being sought after by various European giants. However, the Brazilians seem to disagree with this view – you all know who I'm referring to, yes, Kaka, a name that sounds strange but quite catchy for a Brazilian..."

(end of chapter)