USA were the latest team to book a spot in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ quarter-finals with a decisive victory over Italy. There they will clash with Morocco after the Atlas Cubs impressed again in a 2-1 win against Korea Republic in Rancagua.
USA 3-0 Italy
USA goals: Cremaschi (15 & 90+3), Tsakiris (79)
USA secured their place in the quarter-finals for a fifth successive U-20 World Cup thanks to an inspirational performance from captain Benjamin Cremaschi, who scored a brilliant brace.
Italy began brightly and almost took the lead in fortuitous circumstances when Mattia Mosconi struck the post with a deep cross from the right in the eighth minute. But it was the Americans who broke the deadlock when Cremaschi — who holds an Italian passport and plays in Serie A for Parma — pounced on a loose ball following a Niko Tsakiris corner and struck from close range.
Tsakiris almost made it two when he struck from distance 15 minutes from time but was denied by a brilliant diving save from Italian stopper Jacopo Seghetti. But the USA No10 found the net moments later with a superb 25-yard free kick that creeped inside the post. Deep into injury time, Cremaschi sealed the victory when he broke free and chipped over Seghetti to score his fifth goal of the global showpiece following his hat-trick against New Caledonia, making him top scorer.
Quotes
“It’s amazing. Today it was another huge team effort. We played a pretty good game. Sometimes they had the possession, but we always thougt like we were in control. The two goals I’ve scored are product of what the team is doing. I’m obviously super happy with the two goals and, most importantly, with us passing to the next round.”
Benjamin Cremaschi, USA midfielder
“In the end, the boys played well, but the result is misleading. We could have done a little more in the final meters. The boys deserve a big thank you for what they did.”
Carmine Nunziata, Italy coach
Stat
Benjamin Cremaschi is now the top-scoring American player at a single edition of the U-20 World Cup.
Morocco 2-1 Korea Republic
Morocco goals: Shin own goal (8), Zabiri (58)
Korea Republic goals: Kim Taewon pen (90+6)
Korea Republic may well be wondering if things would have turned out differently had they gone ahead after just three minutes against Morocco in Rancagua. In truth that early effort, a well-struck Kim Taewon shot that was cleared off the line by Ismael Baouf, was about as close as they came from open play against an impressive Atlas Cubs side.
Morocco wasted listed little in punishing Korea for that miss. An ambitious bicycle kick from Yassir Zabiri that was headed well wide of the target was directed back towards it by Shin Minha to help steer them to a 1-0 lead at the break.
Just shy of the hour, Korean hopes were sunk by a fine second. The electric Othmane Maamma provided a pinpoint cross from the right that was thumped home off the head of Zabiri. A Kim Taewon penalty that was the final moment of the contest saw things finish 2-1 and book Morocco a quarter-final date with USA, also in Rancagua, on Sunday.
