Author: Soorya G
Cesare Casadei was the scorer once again at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup. Casadei opened the scoring in Italy’s semi-final against Korea Republic U-20, before a tense battle between the two teams, with the Italians coming out on top at the end of the day. South Korea, runners-up at the 2019 U-20 World Cup, responded quickly, with Seung Won Lee winning a penalty just a few minutes after the opening goal.
Lee took the penalty and made no mistake with a shot from 12 meters to restore equality in the contest. However, resistance was finally broken by Simone Pafundi’s goal in the 86th minute as the Azzurri avoided extra time and, more importantly, secured a place in the summit clash of the prestigious tournament, while the young Koreans crashed out after an impressive campaign.
Meanwhile, Israel’s fantastic run in the tournament was finally brought to an end by a courageous Uruguayan team, who gave the Blue and Whites no chance of taking control of the game. Defensor Sporting’s 19-year-old striker Anderson Duarte would be the difference between the two teams. Duarte took his chance just after the hour mark to score the decisive goal that put his team into the final. Uruguay have reached the final of the U-20 World Cup twice before, in 1997 and 2013. The South Americans lost on both occasions, to Argentina and France respectively.
On the other hand, Sunday’s final will be Italy’s first appearance in the U-20 World Cup summit clash, after finishing fourth in the previous edition of the tournament. The final between Uruguay and Italy confirms that a new champion will be crowned at the weekend, as both teams would like to ensure that they maintain their momentum for one more game. An intense battle is definitely in store, and the soccer world will be eager to see which team is crowned junior champion.