Uruguay won their first Under-20 World Cup title with 1-0 victory over Italy

Posted : 12 June 2023

In an exciting match on Sunday, Uruguay emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over Italy, claiming their first-ever Under-20 World Cup title. This triumph for the Celeste marks the end of a streak of four consecutive victories by European teams in the tournament.

The decisive goal came in the 86th minute when Luciano Rodriguez scored a header from close range. Uruguay's dominant performance throughout the match made their victory well-deserved.

A crowd of over 40,000 spectators, predominantly cheering for Uruguay, filled the Diego Maradona Stadium. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also in attendance to witness the momentous occasion.

Uruguay's solid defense, which only conceded three goals in the entire tournament (all against England in the group stage), was hardly tested during the final.

The South American team had several clear opportunities to score earlier in the match, including a free kick taken by Rodríguez, two long-range shots by captain Fabricio Díaz, and a powerful header by Anderson Duarte, which resulted in an outstanding save by Italy goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches.

Cesare Casadei, Italy's top scorer in the tournament with seven goals, had a disappointing performance in the final.

Neither Uruguay nor Italy were among the favorites when the U20 World Cup began on May 20. However, unlike Brazil, Argentina, and England, they faced less opposition from clubs regarding the release of their players for the tournament. While it is not mandatory for clubs to allow their players to participate in international youth competitions, Uruguay and Italy benefited from greater cooperation.

Uruguay had previously reached the final of the tournament in 1997 and 2013, but fell short of the title. The last South American team to win the U20 World Cup was Brazil in 2011.

This victory for the Celeste follows Argentina's World Cup triumph in December, marking a notable sequence of successes for non-European teams.

In an earlier match held at the same stadium in La Plata, Israel, making their tournament debut, secured third place with a 3-1 victory over South Korea.

Originally, Indonesia was set to host the tournament, but due to their refusal to accept Israel's participation, FIFA decided to transfer the organization to Argentina just one month before the kickoff.

Uruguay won their first Under-20 World Cup title with 1-0 victory over Italy

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