Italy Under‑20 beats China, awaits South Korea

Italy Under-20 has reached the quarter‑finals of the World Cup in Sosnowiec, beating China on penalties and securing the passage against SOUTH KOREA. An evening of pride and tension closed the first stage of the tournament.

From Appiah’s goal to the penalties

The first half was ignited by the goal of Karen Appiah, a Milan striker on loan at Cesena, who broke the ice for the Azzurrine. The shot took advantage of a mistake by Belli, giving Italy an early lead.

The score was quickly equalised by Wang, who capitalised on a gross mistake by Belli to bring the match level. The play restored the balance and pushed the contest into extra time.

Extra time ended with a 1‑1 result, forcing the two teams to decide the outcome on penalties. The Azzurrine converted all five kicks, while China suffered the decisive error from Chenyu.

From the spot, the Italians scored five out of five, showing composure under pressure. The accuracy secured the passage to the next round.

Matteucci praised the team, stating: “It was a difficult, intense match, and all the protagonists on the field deserve congratulations.” “Reaching this stage of the competition is a great pride; the girls were excellent at keeping calm in the penalty kicks,” he added.

Now Italy awaits the clash against SOUTH KOREA, scheduled for Saturday at 15:00, still in Sosnowiec. In the same half of the bracket Brazil and Spain will also play.