By Victor Okoye
Tournament leading goalscorer Cesare Casadei added yet another goal to his tally (six) to lead Italy to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 semi-finals.
This was after their 3-1 victory over Colombia in the quarter-finals played at San Juan Stadium on Saturday.
Gli Azzurrini will now face either Korea Republic or Nigeria in the final four at Argentina 2023.
Casadei headed in the opening goal from Tommaso Baldanzi’s corner kick to give Gli Azzurrini an early boost.
Casadei then turned provider for Baldanzi, cushioning a header perfectly in the path for the Empoli man to double the lead.
Shortly after half-time, Baldanzi added another assist to his name, cutting back for Francesco Esposito to score with a delightful flicked finish.
Jhojan Torres gave Los Cafeteros a lifeline with a superb, curling effort from just outside Italy’s penalty area, but it proved to be a mere consolation.
The future looks bright for Italian football as the nation has booked a semi-final spot for the third consecutive U-20 World Cup.
Casadei is now Italy’s all-time top scorer in U-20 World Cup history with six goals, surpassing Riccardo Orsolini who scored five in 2017. (NAN)
