Uruguay and South Korea secured their spots in the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup after winning their respective matches on Sunday.
In a dominant display, Uruguay defeated the United States 2-0 in Santiago del Estero. The South Americans controlled the match from start to end. Meanwhile, South Korea, the runners-up in the previous U-20 World Cup in 2019, secured their semifinal berth with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Nigeria in extra time.
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In the upcoming semifinals on Thursday, Uruguay will face Israel. Meanwhile, South Korea will take on Italy, as both teams vie for a place in the final.
South Korea managed to score the lone goal in their match during the fifth minute of extra time. Seok-Hyun Choi’s header was only one of the few scoring opportunities for either team throughout the match.
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Uruguay, on the other hand, took the lead in the 21st minute through a counter-attack, as Anderson Duarte found himself in front of an empty net. They extended their advantage in the 56th minute when Joshua Wynder scored an own goal.
The United States had not conceded a single goal in their previous four matches in the tournament.
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None of the remaining four teams in the competition have ever won the Under-20 World Cup. Uruguay were the runners-up in 1997 and 2013. Israel, on the other hand, are making their first appearance in the U-20 World Cup.