It’s not a rejection, there’s no step back. The road is right, the prospects are there. Head up, Italy. On the night in La Plata Uruguay is meaner, physically superior, more ready to play a game like this. Five minutes from the end, he forcefully finds the goal that is worth the first Under 20 World Cup, after the finals lost in 1997 and 2013. The last blue youth title remains the Under 21 European Championship in 2004, but this team can dream big. Uruguay deserved the triumph, driven by the more than thirty thousand fans who flocked to Argentina. He looked more for victory, was more continuous and cunning to the right point. Coach Nunziata also admits it: «They were better than us, they were better off physically».
The journey of the Azzurrini must however be underlined. Last June this national team stopped only in the semifinals of the Under 19 European Championship, now they have taken a further step forward. It’s not just Pafundi, the youngest rookie ever for the senior national team, who with a free-kick «à la Diego» had brought Italy to the final: certainly Mancini saw a long shot on him, as often happens to him. He needs to get stronger, but he has the numbers to become special. Desplanches is also on the launch pad, the goalkeeper with the blond forelock who grew up in Milan observing Gigio Donnarumma, protagonist with a couple of notable saves, always careful to help the defense with high exits. Then Casadeithe midfielder whose structure and movements recall Milinkovic, who was sold last summer by Inter to Chelsea for 15 million: he has scored seven goals in this World Cup, of which he is the top scorer. On the other hand, it was not Baldanzi’s final, the fantasy little guy who scored with Empoli in the championship, attracting the attention of Lazio, Milan and Naples. There is time to grow.
In the stadium named after Maradona, the Azzurrini suffer the suffocating pressure of the South Americans. The pitch, in poor condition, didn’t help. Nunziata chooses Pafundi instead of Esposito, and Udinese’s talent is the only one who manages to become dangerous in a very painful first half. Uruguay has more kilos and centimeters, it has less difficulty moving in the grass which often becomes dirt. Italy has the merit of always remaining attached to the game, concentrated. But the physical difference is stark.
La Celeste, only conceded three goals in the whole tournament before the final, is solid and rocky, conceding very little. The national team tries to drag itself into extra time. He gets scared when Prati goes hard on Diaz, and the Swedish referee Nyberg draws out the direct red, then changes his mind and chooses the yellow. cede in the 86th minute, on the header on the development of a corner by Luciano Rodriguez. The ending is confusing and passionate, but that’s not enough. Italy defeated, but looks ahead with confidence.
2023-06-12 00:11:15
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