Just played the final of the World Youth Championship (up to 20 years old), in which the team that had not been fighting for many years in men's football in England, triumphed. They managed to defeat the talents of Venezuela with a minimal result.
Led by Paulo Simpson, the English team reached the decisive stage of the tournament after three tough victories. In the quarterfinals, thanks to Ademola Lookman's double, they beat the Costa Rican footballers, and in the semifinals, the only goal scored by Dominic Solanke secured victory against Mexico. In the semifinals, Solanke scored twice, and with Lookman adding another goal, they defeated the Italians with a score of 3-1.
The Venezuelan team, in turn, faced an even tougher path to the final. Initially, they defeated the Japanese 1-0 after extra time, and in the quarterfinals, they played an extra time against the USA. Adalberto Penaranda and defender Nahuel Ferraresi stood out in those matches. Eventually, in the semifinals against Uruguay, they managed to survive only thanks to Samuel Sosa's penalty goal in extra time. This time they triumphed in the penalty shootout.
The final was no less interesting and eventful than the previous matches between the England and Venezuela national teams. The teams played an open game.
However, although Dominic Calvert-Lewin put the English team ahead in the 35th minute, and their goalkeeper Freddie Woodman had a lot of work, the final ended 1-0.
It is worth mentioning several episodes of this young Newcastle United player - in the middle of the second half, he managed to defend against a one-on-one situation against Sergio Cordova, who used a great pass from Julio Soteldo, and in the 74th minute, he managed to stop Penaranda's penalty shot from 11 meters.
This appointment is also interesting because the referee Bjorn Kuipers consulted with the video assistant referees after his whistle.
So, the young English footballers became the new world champions. In turn, the Italians won the third place after a successful penalty shootout.
Results:
Venezuela U-20 0 - 1 England U-20
[0-1] 35' Dominic Calvert-Lewin
74' Adalberto Penaranda (Venezuela) missed the 11-meter penaltyUruguay U-20 0 - 0 Italy U-20 (after penalty shootout)
