Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), Nov 29: Favourites Argentina and Brazil won their opening matches today in the U-20 World Cup. Defending champion Argentina came from behind to defeat another top contender, Spain, 2-1 in a Group B match, while Brazil beat Canada 2-0 in Group C.

Leandro Fernandez scored twice for Argentina in the second half, after Gabi put Spain ahead in the 24th minute.


Brazil also had to wait until the second half to secure the win, Carvalho scoring in the 50th minute and Nilmar putting the match beyond the Canadians' reach six minutes from the end.


In the other Group B match, Mali scored an injury-time winner to defeat Uzbekistan 3-2. Australia and the Czech Republic tied 1-1 in another Group C match, while Burkina Faso defeated Panama 1-0 in Group A. By beating Spain, one of Europe's top teams, Argentina is in a commanding position heading into Monday's match against Uzbekistan.

Brazil needed all the flair it is renowned for and some tough talk from coach Marcos Paqueta to beat newcomer Canada.

"The problem with Brazilian soccer is that often we play very nice, for the gallery, but with no results," he said. "The most important thing is that the team won. Now we have to concentrate on our training. This is a world cup and we cannot underestimate our rivals."

The three-week event, postponed in March because of the war in Iraq, is seen as the discovering ground for some of the sport's brightest young stars. The tournament has witnessed the rise of the likes of Argentina's Diego Maradona, Portugal's Luis Figo and England's Michael Owen.
Bureau Report