The classification seemed to slip away in Rosario, but a last-minute appearance completely changed the fate of the Argentina U-19 National Team. When Venezuela was already savoring victory, Ramiro Tulián appeared in the 94th minute of 95 to score 1-1 and give the team coached by Diego Placente a ticket to the semifinals of the 2026 South American Games.
The national team needed to score to keep their chances alive and reached the final stretch at a disadvantage. At 27 minutes, Jesús González had put Vinotinto ahead and put the Albiceleste against the ropes, as a defeat could have eliminated them from the tournament.
However, Argentina persisted until the end and found their reward in the last action of the match. Tulián equalized with a stunning goal at the last moment and secured a dramatic qualification that allowed them to stay alive in the continental competition.
The journey in Group B had started with a 2-1 defeat against Paraguay. Then, the youth team bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Uruguay and entered the third matchday needing a result to stay in the race (a draw or a win).
Finally, the draw against Venezuela was enough to advance to the next stage on goal difference (both finished with 4 points, but the Albiceleste ended with a difference of 0 and the Vinotinto -1). Now, Placente's team will face a new challenge against Chile, in search of a spot in the gold medal match. The semifinal will be held this Wednesday, September 23, while the final and the third-place match are scheduled for Friday, September 25.
