Ten-man United States wins Group F of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Sunday with a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in Daejeon, South Korea.
A United States team reduced to 10 men won Group F of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Sunday with a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in Daejeon, South Korea.
Brooks Lennon’s first-half goal secured the vital point for the U. S. to set up a second-round showdown with New Zealand on June 1.
The Americans took the lead five minutes before halftime. Luca de la Torre saw his shot saved but Brooks put home the rebound from close range.
Central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was sent off just before halftime for a second yellow card.
“We give it everything we’ve got, ” forward Josh Sargent said. “I think we are known for giving it our all and people can expect that from us.”
Saudi Arabia struggled to take advantage of having the extra man, though U. S. goalkeeper Johnathan Klinsmann saved well on a strong shot by Abdulrahman Al Yani midway through the second half.
Klinsmann could do little about the equalizer that came after 74 minutes. Abdullah Al Amri was left unmarked on the edge of the 6-yard box to meet Sami Al Naji’s corner kick from the right side with a powerful header into the far corner of the net.
The Saudis pushed forward in search of victory, but were left frustrated. The U. S. took first place in the group with five points, one ahead of Senegal, which tied Ecuador 0-0.
Of the match against New Zealand, Sargent said: “They are a great team, they obviously got to the second round for a reason. We are going to do the best we can to get ready for that match and hopefully win that game. We will come out strong.”
Saudi Arabia was third and also advanced to the round of 16 ahead of Argentina as the fourth of the four best third-place finishers who move on along with the top two teams from each of the six groups.
In Group E, France maintained its perfect record with a 2-0 win over New Zealand. Monaco winger Allan Saint-Maximin scored both goals.
France will take on Italy on June 1 for a place in the last eight.
New Zealand stayed in second with Honduras moving into third with a 2-0 win over Vietnam, though the Central Americans were eliminated.
The final takes place on June 11 in Suwon.
