Italy coach Carmine Nunziata, who will face Kim Eun-Joong-ho in the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, expects a tough matchup with South Korea.
“I think there are teams that will rise in 스포츠토토 this quarterfinal,” Nunziata said at the official press conference for the semifinal against South Korea at the La Plata Stadium in Argentina on Aug. 7 (local time). “It will be a tough game against Korea.”
The Azzurri will face Kim Eun-Joong’s Korea in the semifinals at 6 a.m. ET on Sept. 9 at La Plata Stadium.
Italy’s best finish at the U-20 World Cup was third in 2017.
While South Korea’s best finish at the tournament was as runner-up (2019 in Poland), the Azzurri have continued their recent strong form, finishing third in 2017, fourth in 2019 and reaching the quarterfinals of this tournament.
This time around, the Azzurri finished second in their group with a 2-1 record, before defeating England and Colombia in straight games to earn a spot in the final against South Korea.
Italy’s strengths lie in its solid defense and its ability to attack the goal from crosses and set pieces.
Cesare Cassaday (Reading), the tournament’s top scorer, will be one of the players to watch out for in South Korea.
“We are happy to have reached the semifinals, but we will do our best in the remaining games,” said Nunziata, who did not comment on the game plan.
Italy’s captain Samuel Giovane (Ascoli) is also determined to win, saying, “At the beginning of the tournament, no one believed we could reach the quarterfinals, but we didn’t doubt it,” adding, “We didn’t care about that, we worked hard and that’s how we got there.”
