Delgado: This is Argentina and we have to fight to very end
Argentina qualified for the Round of 16 at FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
La Albiceleste came from behind to beat Mexico 3-2
Alma Velasco Heim and Dolores Delgado shared their thoughts with FIFA
On Friday night in Katowice, it suddenly felt as though Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026™ drama in Miami and Atlanta had followed them to Poland. Sky-blue-and-white shirts on the brink of elimination, pushed to the limit by their opponents, before somehow finding the resources to recover and turn the game on its head. Sound familiar?
There was certainly a World Cup 2026 feel to the thrilling encounter between Mexico and Argentina. The match had all the makings of a winner-takes-all clash and for a long time looked to be going El Tri’s way, with Mexico leading 2-1 in the 78th minute. However, Christian Meloni’s side followed in the footsteps of Lionel Scaloni’s team in North America, staging a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 in the dying moments.
“It was a really intense and emotionally-charged game,” said Visa Player of the Match, Alma Velasco Heim, whose equaliser started the comeback. “We knew Mexico came here to win, but so did we. I’m really proud of the team. We gave everything, 200 per cent, and that’s just who we are. We showed that today and we’re going to keep fighting for everyone.”
It was a match they simply could not afford to lose, yet the Argentinians got off to a good start when Annika Paz’s fifth goal in Poland put them ahead before the half-hour mark. Mexico suddenly turned the game on its head thanks to a quick-fire brace from Deiry Ramirez, and the South Americans could have been 3-1 down right at the start of the second half but for the linesman’s flag which denied Ramirez a hat-trick.
Meloni’s side finally drew level 12 minutes from time when Velasco Heim’s free-kick came back off the wall and fell straight back to her. The attacker made no mistake at the second attempt, firing a powerful strike through a crowded box and into the far corner to make it 2-2.
“To be honest, I knew it was going in,” explained the Levante player. “I hit the wall with the free-kick, but when it came back to me, I felt confident. I hit it as hard as I could to try and score.”
With Mexico desperately trying to find a winner to avoid elimination, Dolores Delgado slotted home just a minute after coming on to wrap up the win for Argentina in added time.
“The feelings on and off the pitch were not very good,” admitted the 17-year-old striker, who at one point feared that her team’s campaign in Poland might come to a premature end. “We weren’t happy and it wasn’t looking good for us.”
When the parallel was drawn between the dramatic successes of Lionel Messi and his team across the Atlantic a few weeks ago and the feat achieved by her own team, “Dolo” could only nod in agreement.
“That’s exactly it!”, she shouted. “We fought right to the end. This is Argentina and we have to fight with all our hearts when our legs can’t carry us any further. We are a team who keep on believing right to the very end. We are really proud and happy with this win.”
After a sobering 3-0 defeat against hosts Poland in their opener, La Albiceleste responded with a resounding 8-0 victory over Benin. After the Mexico triumph, Argentina will head to Sosnowiec on Wednesday for only the second knockout match in the history of their women’s national teams at any level — the previous one was just two years ago in Colombia, where they lost 5-1 to Germany.
Regardless of their opponent in a few days’ time, this South American country has already shown that its women’s football is making huge strides year after year.
“I think Argentinian football is really on the up, and we’re proving it,” added Velasco Heim. “We came here to show that we believe in Argentinian football, and I think this is a fantastic opportunity for people to see all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes.”
And when it comes to the way they turned the game around, it is not hard to see the Argentine DNA running through Mercedes Diz and her team-mates.