Brazil crash out of U-20 World Cup after defeat to Spain, Argentina top their group

There was no alternative to victory. And you can't win without scoring goals.

In a must-win clash against Spain, Brazil failed to find the net. Instead, they conceded. In last night's FIFA U-20 World Cup group stage match in Santiago, Chile, Brazil lost 1-0 to Spain.

With this defeat, the Brazil U-20 team has been eliminated from the World Cup. The five-time champions have exited the tournament at the group stage for the first time ever. On the same night, Argentina's U-20 side progressed to the round of 16 as group winners.

Brazil came into their final Group C match at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez in a do-or-die situation. They had drawn 2-2 with Mexico and lost 2-1 to Morocco in their previous matches, leaving them with just one point. Spain were also on the brink, with one draw and one loss. For both teams, this was a must-win game.

Both sides played attacking football. Brazil took 14 shots, while Spain had 13. However, Spain had more on target—six compared to Brazil's three. In the 47th minute, Iker Bravo scored with one of those efforts to give Spain the lead. It proved to be the decisive goal.

Despite the win, Spain are not yet assured of a place in the knockout stage. Morocco and Mexico have advanced from Group C with six and five points respectively. In the 24-team tournament, the group winners and runners-up from each of the six groups progress, along with the four best third-placed teams. Spain remain in contention through that route.

Brazil's worst ever finish

Brazil exit the U-20 World Cup with two losses and a draw—a deeply disappointing campaign. This was Brazil's 20th appearance in the competition since it began as the FIFA Youth Championship in 1977. They have previously won the title five times and finished runners-up four times. Their previous worst performance came in 2007, when they were eliminated in the second round. This time, they've done worse—finishing bottom of the group.

Argentina finish top of their group

In Group D, Argentina had already taken a strong step towards the round of 16 with a 3-1 win over Cuba and a 4-1 victory against Australia.

Last night, they beat Italy 1-0 to finish as group winners. The only goal of the match came in the 74th minute from Dylan Gorosito. Argentina topped the group with nine points, with Italy second on four. The six-time U-20 World Cup champions, who had exited at the round of 16 in the last two editions, last won the title in 2007.

Elsewhere, Japan and Chile have qualified from Group A, while Ukraine and Paraguay have progressed from Group B.