Uruguay strikes late to beat Italy for maiden Under-20 World Cup title

LA PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 on Sunday to win its first Under-20 World Cup title. The Celeste’s victory ends a streak of four consecutive wins of European teams in the tournament.

Luciano Rodriguez scored the winning goal in the 86th minute in a header from close range, giving Uruguay a much deserved victory after an entire match of dominance against Italy.

More than 40,000 people, mostly cheering for Uruguay, attended the match at the Diego Maradona Stadium. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also present.

Uruguay barely needed to count on its steady defense, which conceded only three goals in the tournament, all against England in the group stage.

The South American team had clear chances to open the scoring much earlier in a free kick taken by Rodriguez, two long distance shots by captain Fabricio Diaz and a header by Anderson Duarte that forced goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches to make one of the best saves of the tournament.

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