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Ukraine and Colombia face-off in the quarterfinals of the U20 World Cup on June 7th in Lodz, Poland.
The winner of this match will move on to the semifinals scheduled for June 11, 2019, at Lublin. That team will face the winner of Match 46 between Italy and Argentina or Mali. The U20 FIFA World Cup final will be held on June 15, 2019, at Lodz.
Ukraine
Ukraine is making its 4th appearance in the U20 World Cup. They did not qualify in the 2017 U20 World Cup and were eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2001, 2005 and 2015. This Eastern European nation qualified for the 2019 U20 World Cup with a semifinals finish at the 2018 UEFA European U19 Championship. Head coach Oleksandr Petrakov was a defender in various teams like a defender for FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia, FC SKA Kyiv, FC Dnipro Cherkasy, FC Avanhard Rivne, FC Kolos Nikopol, and KA YGV Budapest and has been in charge
At the current U20 World Cup, Ukraine had an unbeaten run in the group stage and topped Group D. The Ukrainians started the U20 World Cup bid with a win over the United States and then followed that up with a 1-0 victory over Qatar. The finished the group stage with a 1-1 draw against Nigeria to top their group.
Ukraine did not qualify for the 2017 World Cup and was eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2015.
Below are the players for Ukraine’s team to the 2019 U-20 World Cup
- Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin, Vladyslav Kucheruk, Dmytro Riznyk
- Defenders: Valerii Bondar, Oleksandr Safronov, Denys Popov, Vitalii Mykolenko, Viktor Korniienko, Danylo Beskorovainyi, Yukhym Konoplia, Ihor Snurnitsyn
- Midfielders: Maksym Chekh, Heorhii Tsitaishvili, Oleksiy Khakhlov, Serhii Buletsa, Kyrylo Dryshliuk, Mykola Musolitin, Oleksii Kashchuk
- Forwards: Vladyslav Supriaha, Danylo Sikan, Denys Ustymenko
Colombia
Colombia qualified for its 10th U20 World Cup appearance after barely making it past the CONMEBOL 2019 South American U20 Championship. The Los Cafeteros won just one game in the five matches during the final stage but they managed to edge out Brazil on goal difference. Colombia did not qualify for the 2017 World Cup but was able to reach the Round of 16 in 2013 and 2015. Their best finish in this competition was 3rd place in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship which was held at the United Arab Emirates. The team has been managed by Arturo Reyes since December 2017. This time around, the Colombians finished 2nd in Group A. The won their group stage matches by a margin of 8-0 but lost to Group A winners Senegal 2-0. That loss is their only defeat in their last eight games played.
Here is Colombia’s U20 World Cup squad:
- Goalkeepers: Juan David Lemus, Kevin Mier, Reinaldo Fontalvo
- Defenders: Andres Balanta, Juan Sebastian Palma, Andres Felipe Reyes, Carlos Cuesta, Brayan Vera, Hayen Palacios, Anderson Arroyo
- Midfielders: Gustavo Carvajal, Andres Amaya, Andres Perea, Jaime Alvarado
- Forwards: Deiber Caicedo, Johan Carbonero, Carlos Teran, Luis Sandoval, Juan Camilo ‘Cucho’ Hernandez, Luis Sinisterra, Ivan Angulo
Who Wins?
Juan Camilo “Cucho” Hernandez is coming off an impressive season for Huesa in La Liga. He scored a hat trick during Colombia’s 6-0 thrashing of Tahiti, in the match that sent them to the Final 16. Cucho started again during their final 16 ties against New Zealand but was pulled out in extra time as the teams could not be separated and a penalty shootout was needed to settle the victor.
Colombia missed their first two penalty shots while New Zealand missed on their 2nd and fourth tries. But after the Kiwis missed their 7th try from 12 yards, the Colombians secured their semifinals. Colombian goalkeeper Kevin Mier made the game-winning save as he stretched out to his left to deny Matt Conroy to give his team a 5-4 edge in the penalty shootout and enable Colombia to advance to the last eight as soccer betting favorites against Ukraine.
On the other hand, Ukraine had never made it past the Round of 16 in its previous three tries in this tournament. This time around, they took control over Panama and entered the locker room armed with a 3-0 lead behind Danilo Sykan, Yukhym Konoplia, and Denis Popov, who has three goals in the tournament.
Ukraine has won its last seven U20 matches across all competitions but Colombia’s 7-1 record in their last eight games played are just as impressive. Colombia was the darkhorse entering this competition and they’ve managed to do just enough to win or advance. Real Madrid’s young goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has shone for Ukraine on several occasions including a block of Muhamed Tijadi’s penalty during their 1-1 draw with Nigeria. He should be the difference maker again for upstart Ukraine. Prediction: Ukraine
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