Italy failed to keep pace with Uruguay’s constant high press and were beaten by a late Luciano Rodriguez header in the Under-20 World Cup Final.
The Azzurrini reached their first ever Final of the Under-20 World Cup, having beaten the likes of Brazil, England, Colombia and South Korea on their way. Tournament top scorer Cesare Casadei had seven goals in six games, supporting Tommaso Baldanzi and 17-year-old Simone Pafundi. Uruguay had Luciano Rodriguez suspended and Mateo Ponte injured in La Plata.
It was an aggressive start from the South Americans, who clipped the outside of the post with Fabricio Diaz from distance, while Pafundi’s strike was charged down from the edge of the area.
Sebastiano Desplanches had to make a sensational one-handed save on the Anderson Duarte free header from a corner at the far top corner.
Uruguay’s high press kept winning it back as Italy struggled to play out on a frankly appalling pitch, Daniele Ghilardi crucially intercepting the De Los Santos pull-back for Duarte.
Alan Matturro’s header looped off target from a corner, while Andres Ferrari failed to make the right contact after a good Gonzalez run down the right and Fabricio Diaz hit a powerful but fortunately central strike at Desplanches.
There was drama on 81 minutes when Matteo Prati was shown a straight red card for a very high and clumsy challenge, but it was changed to a yellow after the VAR on-field review, as he had pulled out at the last moment.
Moments later, a corner pinballed around in the six-yard box until landing on the head of Luciano Rodriguez’s header at the back post to give Uruguay the late lead.
Uruguay countered in numbers from an Italy free kick, but Desplanches made an extraordinary intervention to pluck the ball off the feet of Gonzalez.
Uruguay 1-0 Italy
Rodriguez 85 (U)
Uruguay U20: R Rodriguez; Chagas, Boselli, Facundo Gonzalez, Matturro; Diaz, Garcia; L Rodriguez (Homenchenko 96), Franco Gonzalez, De Los Santos (Sosa 91); Duarte (Ferrari 62)
Italy U20: Desplanches; Prati, Ghilardi, Guarino, Turicchia; Casadei, Faticanti (Zanotti 46), Giovane (Pisilli 91); Baldanzi (Lipani 91), Pafundi (Montevago 57); Ambrosino (Esposito 57)
Ref: Nyberg (SWE)