[Source: FIFA.com]

First-half goals from Claudio Echeverri and Valentino Acuna and a late strike by Agustin Ruberto helped Argentina stoke their FIFA U-17 World Cup™ flame and beat a spirited Japan side 3-1 in Bandung.

It took just five minutes for the South Americans to open the scoring, when Echeverri embodied the spirit of fellow Argentinian No10 Lionel Messi and curled a delightful free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards out.

Japan barely had time to regroup before the ball was back in their net. Just three minutes later, Santiago Lopez embarked on a marauding run down the right and cut the ball back for Acuna to side-foot home.

Yoshiro Moriyama fired his side up at half-time, though, and sent them flying out of the traps in the second half. After just five minutes, Shotaro Shibata broke down the right – similarly to how Lopez did in the first half – and cut the ball ball back for Rento Takaoka to volley home his second of the tournament.

Japan then thought they had equalised right at the end of the game when substitute Gakuto Kawamura tapped home from a corner, but the goal was disallowed following a foul on goalkeeper Jeremias Florentin in the build-up.

Argentina then made the game safe in the eighth minute of stoppage time, when Ruberto’s shot from outside the area deflected in off a Japan body to wrong-foot goalkeeper Wataru Goto.