Luciano Rodriguez scored four minutes from time as Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 to win the U20 World Cup.
Rodriguez, who plays for Liverpool Montevideo at home, headed in from close range to reward Uruguay’s dominance and end a run of four straight European sides at the tournament.
More than 40,000 people – including FIFA President Gianni Infantino – attended the game at the Diego Maradona Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, while the Uruguayan Football Federation suspended national league games on Sunday to allow fans to watch the final.
“This is crazy, crazy, crazy and we deserve it,” Rodriguez said tearfully after the game. “We live a dream.”
Italy’s Cesare Casadei, top scorer of the tournament with seven goals and winner of the Golden Ball, struggled to influence the game but won two individual awards after impressing overall.
Cesare Casadei wins the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot #U20WC! 💫🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/YuRFwVzDpy
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 12, 2023
Italy coach Carmine Nunziata praised Uruguay but also blamed the pitch.
“The pitch has punished any player who has more skill,” Nunziata said. “We had an incredible run. This game doesn’t negate what we did, it’s not easy to complete all these games. They were better than us today.”
Uruguay, who lost the finals in 1997 and 2013, had a much earlier chance to take the lead when Rodriguez came close with a free-kick, captain Fabricio Diaz shot from long range and Anderson Duarte forced a save from Italy goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches Competition.
A defense that conceded just three goals in the tournament – all against England in the group stage – rarely ran into trouble as Uruguay eventually triumphed.
Earlier, debutant Israel defeated South Korea 3-1 to secure third place at the same stadium in La Plata.
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(Photo: Getty Images)