There’s something about that yellow and blue glittering off a tournament’s crowning piece of silverware. Seems all too fitting, as if the trophy was made especially for a shower of Brazilian-colored celebration. Indeed Saturday night’s mini-carnival was no different after a 3-2 extra-time triumph over Portugal added a fifth FIFA U-20 World Cup success to the already sated list of Brazilian crowns. Add to it the dramatic manner in which Brazil won the tournament, an Oscar hat-trick, and the triumph of colony over colonizer, this was surely a night to remember.

Brazil lived up to their billing as a pre-tournament favorite. Throughout every stage of the competition, the Samba Boys danced their individual talents and showcased a winning mentality. The perfect blend of flair and pragmatism, with perhaps the only hiccup being a lucky ride against Spain in the quarterfinals.

Yet, that’s not to say the tournament showpiece was a cakewalk. Portugal proved themselves a worthy adversary and, had one or two chances fallen their way, could have won on the night. And for all of Brazil’s wonderful attacking displays, their lack of concentration in defense was worrisome.

Portugal entered the match having not conceded in the prior 574 minutes, but it took Brazil all of five minutes to breech the Iberian defense, albeit through an unfortunate fluke. A floated 40-yard free-kick from Oscar glanced off the head of Sergio Olieveria and left Mika, the Portuguese keeper, scrambling to no avail. The resulting goal left Mika a mere 19 minutes shy of eclipsing the tournament record of 634 minutes without conceding a goal. More importantly, for a Portuguese team that had relied so heavily on their defense capacity, the game might have been over and done with before it even started.

Yet this was a World Cup final, and the touted “New Golden Generation” for Portugal responded as such. Just four minutes after conceding, a superb through ball sent Nelson Oliveira racing to the touchline and a ball-watching Danilo allowed Alex to race unmarked into the box from the left channel. With Danilo caught out and reacting far too late, Alex had an easy tap-in once Nelson Oliveria picked him out.

Danilo quickly moved to make amends for his lackadaisical defending, thumping a low shot that Mika struggled to cover. It signaled a strong spell till the end of the half for the Brazilians as they dominated possession and tested the Portuguese defense on more than one occasion.

The second half kicked off with much of the same. Brazil brought on Allan and Negueba in place of Gabriel Silva and Willian and quickly the little canaries were threatening the Portuguese’s defensive resolve.

It was on the end of one of Brazil’s attacking forays that Portugal grabbed the lead just before the hour mark. Nelson Oliveira latched onto a huffed clearance from the Portuguese box, out ran two Brazilian defenders and struck a hard, right-sided shot into the far left post from a very tight angle. Cruzeiro’s Gabriel, the  Brazilian No. 1, was extremely slow to get down, allowing the shot to slip beneath his right-side. Another Portuguese goal demonstrating a lack concentration from multiple facets of the Brazilian defense.

Brazil responded well, surging forward in attack and dominating possession. With the appearance of Ney Franco's super sub, Dudu, the script seemed to written long before the equalizing goal was scored. The diminutive attacker found himself isolated in the box, demonstrating great skill to turn his defender and rifle a shot in at goal. Mika could only punch the ball away and was unfortunate to see the rebound fall straight Oscar, who has all too happy to volley home his second of the night.

Portugal were twelve minutes short of World Cup glory and they never fully recovered from the disappointing concession. Despite taking the game to extra-time, the inevitability of Brazil’s winner was palpable, especially after Brazilian keeper Gabriel pulled off a smart one-on-one save when substitute Caetano attempted to chip him. Extra-time is as much about mental strength as physical capabilities, and ascendancy of Brazil’s play gave them the upper hand.

For all beautiful play in the 111 minutes prior, Oscar decided to save the best for last and to top a wonderful display with a hat-trick. If you haven’t already seen it, you MUST go watch the highlights. With a defender in his face, wide to the right of the box, Oscar caught the whole stadium off guard, not least of all Mika, when he decided to have a go at goal. The looping, dipping, swerving shot was expertly placed just under the bar, into the far, side-netting, a truly magnificent goal difficult to put into words. It was a perfect ending to a perfect night for Oscar, and in all fairness, it was the ultimate summation and reward for the Brazilians who have dazzled us over the entirety of the tournament.

As yet another crowning trophy was lifted by the joyous hands of the Brazilians, one must ask, what is in store for 2014? Most of the talent on display in the U-20s will be hopeful of pushing for a spot in the senior tournament in three years time. Obviously, it is difficult to predict given the nature of change in the football. Three years is a life-time on the pitch. Yet going strictly off of the displays from the tournament, the future is bright for Brazil.

The senior squad has lacked cohesion and attacking fluidity. The U-20s had it in abundance. Henrique is one to watch for the No. 9. He demonstrated both determination and skill to rise from the bench and claim the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards. The Sao Paulo attackers club future may be in doubt but there should be few questioning his potential for 2014.

Critics of the Dunga-esque defensive mentality will be elated to see the current crop of attacking midfielders rising through the Brazilian ranks. From the hat-trick hero Oscar to the wonderful Dudu, Brazil’s midfield is filled with creative, attacking potential. Inter’s Philippe Coutinho is the obvious one to watch, while Kenny’s perennial favorite Alan Patrick might come good by 2014, though he spent most of the U-20s on the bench.

Ironically, the troublesome spot for the Brazilian youngsters is their defense. The lack of concentration on both of Portugal’s goals in the final was indicative of their displays through most of the tournament. Too often the defenders, particularly Danilo (sorry Kenny), were caught ball-watching or too slow in getting back for their defensive duties. It’s all well and good to contribute to the attack, but these defenders must work on their mental concentration and awareness if they are to progress into the senior squad. To their credit though, time is on their side and we will undoubtedly see these young men mature.

All in all, and somewhat inevitably, it seems the future bodes well for Brazil come 2014, though success at the youth levels does not specifically translate to senior winnings. Keep in mind South American teams (Argentina and Brazil) have seized eight of the last ten U-20 trophies. That said, Mano Menezes has a bundle load of talent to consider, and should he skillfully integrate these youngsters with the current squad, 2014 might just see another picturesque Brazil-colored celebration.