FIFA U20 WC: Italy see off Colombia to advance to third successive semifinal

Italy's Gabriele Guarino celebrates with Alessandro Fontanarosa after the match. Credit: Reuters Photo

Tournament-leading goal-scorer Cesare Casadei added yet another goal to his kitty and led Italy to the FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinals with a 3-1 win over Colombia, at San Juan Stadium, here.

With Saturday's win Italy booked a semifinal spot for the third consecutive U-20 World Cup. Casadei became Italy's all-time top scorer in U-20 World Cup history with six goals, surpassing Riccardo Orsolini, who scored five in 2017.

Italy will face either Korea Republic or Nigeria in the semifinal on Thursday.

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Casadei headed in the opening goal from Tommaso Baldanzi's corner kick to give Italy an early boost. He then turned provider for the latter, cushioning a header perfectly in Baldanzi's path to double the lead.

Shortly after half-time, Baldanzi added another assist to his name, cutting back for Francesco Esposito to score with a flicked finish.

Jhojan Torres gave Colombia a lifeline with a superb curling effort from just outside Italy's penalty area, but it proved to be a mere consolation.

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