After Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar six months ago, South America will team up with Uruguay to reclaim the U20 World Cup that has been denied them for more than a decade. .
La Celeste will face Italy in the U20 World Cup final on Sunday at La Plata’s Diego Maradona Stadium, an unbeatable opportunity for the most important youth trophy to return to South American hands, as it did in the seniors last December Was.
The historic conflict between South America and Europe has been repeated in this category, with Brazil being the last to turn up for the Olympic Games in 2011. This was followed by titles in France (2013), Serbia (2015), England (2017) and Ukraine. (2019).
“I think Argentina had a very good team, as well as a very supportive team. In many ways it could be a coincidence”, said Uruguay’s U20 coach Marcelo Broli about the team led by star Lionel Messi. assessed. “Don’t be confused, there is still a lot to improve and we have to grow. The most important thing is that there is raw material in these parts, both in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, there are a lot of quality players.
Despite having a youth system as rich in talent as its neighbors Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay have yet to establish themselves at the U20 World Cup. He came close in the 1997 and 2013 finals, but was stripped of the title by Argentina and France respectively.
This third occasion is unbeatable as La Celeste were practically local in all games due to their geographical proximity to their home country and more than 30,000 Uruguayans are expected in the Diego Maradona Stand.
“We’ve already won something. We’ve won the love of three million people who come here to support us across the pond (referring to the bordering Rio de la Plata). This team is made to win great things” , highlighting defender Alan Maturo after beating Israel 1-0 on Thursday in the semi-finals.
Like all aspiring champions, Uruguay adheres to a base of defensive solidity, with goalkeeper Randall RodrÃguez and defender Sebastián Bocelli as the banners. He conceded just two goals in six matches (a loss to England in the first round).
In midfield, captain Fabricio DÃaz gives important orders on and off the pitch. And on offense, Anderson Duarte stood by for losses due to injury and the suspension of several forwards (Luciano RodrÃguez, Andres Ferrari and Matias Abaldo).
“We all need everybody are set phrases, but we believe in it. Nobody comes from a place where you say ‘he’s a star’ or ‘I’m the first’. A team As we know that we have nothing left, we have to give our maximum. Together we become very strong”, Broly emphasized.
It was now their turn to face Italy, who would be playing the final of the competition for the first time in a category led by striker, Cesare Casadei, with seven goals, in a 2–1 win against South Korea in the last semi-final.
“This is a team with two important qualities: they apply a lot of pressure and play a lot inside in the attacking zone with high quality players. We will try to play a great game”, Broly promised.
