09 June 2023
Thursday 8 June was historic for Italy Under 20 - the Azzurrini defeated Korea Republic to qualify for the final of the World Cup for the first time in their history.
After two consecutive third-place finals, the team coached by Carmine Nunziata finally made the huge step by winning the semi-final in an extremely hard-fought match.
The first goal of the match was scored by Italy in the first half. Riccardo Turicchia won back possession in the opposition half before serving Cesare Casadei, whose shot got the better of Kim Joonhong. Korea Republic responded and drew level before the interval. Lee Seungwon converted a penalty to take the teams into the break all square.
There was no separating the teams until the ninetieth minute. Simone Pafundi curled a sublime free-kick into the net. A masterpiece that decided the match.
Once again Turicchia produced a superb performance, playing the entire match and also providing the assist for Casadei's opening goal. Filippo Fiumanò was also thrown into the action in the final minutes.
The next - and final - appointment is set for Sunday 11 June, at 22:00 CEST in La Plata, where the Azzurrini will face Uruguay, who narrowly overcame Israel in the other semi-final.
