The Selection Sub 20 of Guatemala He debuted with a 1-0 defeat against New Zealand in his World Cup debut that opened in Argentina. The Guatemalan team lost by the slightest difference despite being much better than its rival on the field.
Norman Garbett scored for New Zealand and celebrated his first victory in the tournament that began this Saturday on Argentine soil.
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After a spectacular assist from Fin Conchie, the number 11 broke the good resistance that the rival defense had shown until then and sealed the first goal of the tournament.
In the stadium in the city of Santiago del Estero, the New Zealand team went on the attack early and used the height of several of their starters as one of their main weapons.
In fact, five of the eleven starters Darren Bazelei bet on were over 185 centimeters tall: Kees Sims, Finn Surman, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Jackson Jarvie and Oliver Colloty.
A direct free kick executed by Conchi and well cleared by Figo Montaño became the first dangerous situation in favor of New Zealand.
A MISTAKE!
2 MATCHES THAT NEED TO BE IMPROVED!“I believe in my team, you also believe, let’s think about the next game” -Rafael Loredo – DT#ElijoCreer #TogetherGuate #SelectionMode 🇬🇹💙⚽️ #SeleSub20 pic.twitter.com/syhe4bGk4P
— FEDEFUT GUATE (@fedefut_oficial) May 20, 2023
Despite this, the good touch of the ball that Guatemala showed in the midfield quickly matched a duel that was attended by many fans in the stadium.
A powerful header from Carlos Santos saved by the rival goalkeeper was the first clear approximation of the group that dressed all in white.
Around 40 minutes in, a shot by Montaño that missed close to the vertical became a new warning from those led by Rafael Loredo.
In the second half, shots from distance became the preferred option for both teams to try to open the score.
⏱️ FINAL MATCH | FIFA U20 World Cup.
🇬🇹Guatemala (0) 🆚 (1) New Zealand🇳🇿– to think about the next game – #ElijoCreer #TogetherGuate #SelectionMode 🇬🇹💙⚽️ #SeleSub20 pic.twitter.com/NdZ0RsFqAa
— FEDEFUT GUATE (@fedefut_oficial) May 20, 2023
Jackson Manuel and Jay Herdman tried out for New Zealand, while Daniel Cardoza and Arquímedez Ordóñez, one of the great figures of the game, did for Guatemala.
At minute 77 in one of the plays that marked the match, the Guatemalan goalkeeper Jorge Moreno had to leave the field assisted by the medical staff after a play in which he made sense and was replaced by Fausto Delgado.
Immediately, a spectacular assist from Conchi put Garbett face to face with the recently entered goalkeeper and it was the New Zealand attacker who won the duel and sealed a victory that left his team at the top of Group A.
