FIFA U20 World Cup: Italy Beat England To Last 8

FIFA U20 World Cup: Italy Beat England To Last 8

By Niyi Busari

Italy got revenge after England had beaten them in the UEFA Under-19 championship semi-finals last year.

Cesare Casadei's late penalty helped Italy edge England and reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023â„¢ quarter-finals.

Tommaso Baldanzi opened the scoring for the Italians when he latched on to the end of a delightful, outside-of-the-foot through-pass from Giuseppe Ambrosino, catching England keeper Matthew Cox off guard with a quick shot.

Alfie Devine equalised for the Three Lions a few minutes after he had hit the crossbar. Dane Scarlett sent in a cross with pace and Devine showed superb technical skill to turn it in straight out of the air with the inside of his right boot.

The second half was far more scrappy than the first with chances few and far between, so it was no surprise that the decider was a penalty kick. After a lengthy VAR review, England defender Jarell Quansah was adjudged to have handled Casadei's shot, and the Italian made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick.

Italy will meet Colombia in the quarter-finals in San Juan on Saturday.