Uruguay claims champion for the first time after beating Italy 1-0 in the final

A header from Luciano Rodríguez in the death throes of the game gave Uruguay its first title in the Under 20 World Cup.

The Uruguayan Liverpool striker scored in the 85th minute after a corner kick on Sunday at the Diego Maradona stadium in La Plata, lowering the hammer to a game that La Celeste had dominated from the start, determined that the third final in its history would be the charm

Uruguay had stayed on the shore in the 1997 and 2013 editions of the youth competition. Those led by Marcelo Broli thus covered the empty space in the Uruguayan soccer showcases that include the two senior world championships (1930 and 1950) and the gold medals in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games.

“We always dream, we Uruguayans have that incredible thing: going for dreams that are hard to believe,” Broli said. “When we are convinced and united we are very strong. We felt all the energy that came from Uruguay. And in the adverse moments the group was very strong”.

La Celeste closed their victorious campaign with six wins and just a 3-2 defeat against England in the first round, which were the only two goals they conceded in the entire tournament.

Faced with the stage fright of a final, the South American team was the deserved winner on and off the field, in which their fans occupied the majority of the almost 40,000 Maradona stands. There were 15 shots on goal for the Uruguayans against just two for the Italians, but none risky for goalkeeper Randall Rodríguez.

“We were looking forward to that goal. We were superior, most of the game was noticeable and that was reflected in the title”, highlighted midfielder Juan De los Santos. . Being the World Cup here, we knew that many Uruguayans were going to cross the pond (through the shared Río de la Plata) plus those who are living here. I think that today the stadium played in their favour”.

Uruguay went around the goal with a free kick from Rodríguez himself; two midrange shots from their captain Fabricio Díaz that went just wide and a header from Anderson Duarte that was miraculously cleared from the corner by Italian goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches in the first half.

La Celeste also stood out for its impregnable defense —it was one of the least beaten hurdles in the tournament (2)— which kept midfielder Cesare Casadei, scorer of seven goals and the tournament’s top scorer, away from the area.

The Azzurra —who were in their first final— had shown an interesting inside game and ambition throughout the tournament, but were forced to stick to the old Catenaccio recipe to keep the goal in the second half and force a definition by penalties as the only way to prevail in an unfavorable proceeding game.

“We have had physical problems in some players. Uruguay deserved the victory. We have had the two best teams in the final, but Uruguay have done better”, recognized the Italian coach Carmine Nunziata.

Rodríguez, who had not been able to play the last two games due to being sent off against Gambia in the round of 16, claimed responsibility for a corner kick. His teammate Alan Matturro fought for the ball and the champion’s fortune wanted it to fall to the Uruguayan striker for the header.

With the Uruguayan victory, South America regained the trophy after more than a decade of European dominance. Brazil had been the last to turn the Olympic Games in 2011. Then the titles of France (2013), Serbia (2015), England (2017) and Ukraine (2019) followed.

Seven of the champions will not have vacations because they are going to join the senior team, cited by the brand new Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, who considers them part of the new generation that will take over from Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani, among others.

“That they are part of this process fills me with pride,” concluded Broli.

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