San Juan: 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 Thursday.
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.
IANS
