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U-20 WC Rewind: Zambia takes down Germany, England tops Costa Rica and more

With Wednesday’s matches in the books, five of the eight FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals teams are set, including one surprise party-crasher.

Zambia continued its run through the tournament by taking down Germany, while Uruguay topped Saudi Arabia to book a spot in the quarterfinal round. England, meanwhile, outdueled Costa Rica to book their own place in the final eight.

Here’s a closer look at Wednesday’s results:

URUGUAY 1-0 SAUDI ARABIA

In the lead match of the day, Uruguay dispatched Saudi Arabia in a 1-0 shutout win.

After a scoreless first half, Uruguay managed to earn a penalty just after the teams returned to the field in the 50th minute. Nicolas De La Cruz stepped up to the spot and converted for the match winner, landing Uruguay in the quarterfinals as one of two remaining CONMEBOL teams, joining Venezuela.

ENGLAND 2-1 COSTA RICA

In match two, England and Costa Rica clashed in a match that seemed secure for the Three Lions before things got very hairy late on.

After England jumped to a 2-0 lead with 35th and 63rd minute goals from Ademola Lookman, it seemed like victory was well on its way. But Costa Rica battled back effectively late and almost spoiled the party. Unfortunately, Randall Leal’s 89th minute penalty was saved and so his goal just a few moments later only managed to make the final scoreline 2-1 rather than leveling the match.

ZAMBIA 4-3 (AET) GERMANY

Finally, Zambia pulled off the upset of the day as the African nation knocked off Germany in extra time. A

fter the Germans seized the lead with Phillip Ochs’ 35th-minute strike, Zambia pulled back three unanswered from Emmanuel Banda, Junior Sakala, and Enock Mwepu. Down two in the final minutes, Germany pulled off a miraculous comeback as Suat Serdar scored one for his team in the 89th minute and Jonas Arweiler scored the equalizer in the 93rd. Despite the amazing comeback, Germany would fall as Shemmy Mayembe scored the 107th minute winner for Zambia.

The final three quarterfinal competitors will be decided on Thursday, with the U.S. U-20s taking on New Zealand, Mexico taking on Senegal, and France taking on Italy for the right to advance.

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