The U20 World Cup in Chile is already a hotbed of young talent, a true showcase for football’s next big stars. It’s exciting to see players from around the globe fighting for glory. What’s even more interesting is how many of these promising youngsters are making their mark while playing for clubs in Portugal.
One player who shone brightly on Monday was Óscar Perea. The forward, who plays for AVS, scored the crucial winning goal for Colombia against Saudi Arabia. Colombia grabbed a 1-0 victory in their opening Group F match. Perea found the net in the 61st minute. He cleverly redirected a cross from Jordan Barrera right in front of goal. This was after he’d already missed a couple of chances earlier in the game, in the 29th and 37th minutes. Interestingly, Perea’s club, AVS, currently sits at the very bottom of the Portuguese championship.
Colombia now leads Group F. They are tied with Norway, who also started their tournament strong by beating Nigeria 1-0.
Over in Group E, the United States made a huge statement. They completely dominated New Caledonia, winning with a massive 9-1 scoreline. Benjamin Cremaschi was on fire, bagging an impressive four goals himself. Benfica’s central defender, Joshua Wynder, played the entire 90 minutes for the American squad, showing his defensive prowess.
Meanwhile, France also started their campaign positively. They defeated South Africa 2-1. Steven Baseia, a central defender from Alverca, captained the French side. South Africa’s goalkeeper, Fletcher Smythe-Lowe, who plays for Estoril Praia, was between the sticks for his team.
It’s been a fantastic start for players based in Portugal. In just three days of U20 World Cup action, we’ve already seen three goals from players currently in the Portuguese league system. Besides Colombia’s Óscar Perea, Morocco’s Yassir Zabiri from Famalicão and Cuba’s Karel Pérez from Vianense have also found the back of the net. Zabiri notched Morocco’s first goal in their 2-0 win over Spain in Group C. Pérez scored Cuba’s lone goal in their 3-1 loss to Argentina, a game where FC Porto’s Tomás Pérez came on for Argentina at halftime. These young guns are certainly making a name for themselves on the global stage, proving that Portuguese clubs are nurturing some serious talent.