Italy v England, U20 World Cup: As it happened

England take on Italy for a place in the World Cup Final in South Korea this afternoon.

Can Paul Simpson’s men do it? The winner of the clash will meet Uruguay or Venezuela for world glory.

Keep up-to-date with all the action here. And make sure to tweet @dkondonis and @YahooSportUK with your comments.

FT: Italy 1 – 3 England

1.53pm: Well, that was a scintillating watch. England’s first team gets a lot of stick for not playing an exhilarating brand of football, but that second-half was almost entirely attack against defence.

The Young Lions were causing all sorts of chaos, and Italy could *not* cope. It was an inevitable win, and will be one hell of a game against Venezuela.

By the way, Venezuela have played THREE rounds of extra-time so far; an extra 90 minutes.

1.49pm: FULL TIME! England will face Venezuela in the World Cup Final. I repeat, a World Cup Final. Unbelievable. But they’ve been full value for the win, and there are one hell of a lot of great youth prospects playing for both Merseyside clubs.

1.46pm: Three minutes of stoppage time. Lookman, Solanke have been really impressive today, but who hasn’t? Ojo truly has been a super-sub, and Calvert-Lewin played a pivotal role in attack too.

1.43pm: GOAL! It’s all over. It’s Solanke again, and it’s from all of 30 yards. He lines it up, and it bobbles just in front of the keeper – who should do better but cannot keep it out.

1.43pm: Bifulco is on for Scalera. Less than five minutes plus stoppage time.

1.39pm: YELLOW! Mandragora enters the book. Frustration obviously coming through from Italy now.

1.33pm: Vido is on for Vitale for Italy. England, surely, have this now. They just need to manage the game properly. I’m not sure Italy have threatened the goal since they scored, you know.

1.32pm: GOAL! England are into the lead. It’s a lofted ball into the box, it isn’t dealt with and it falls for Ademola Lookman, six yards out, and he slots home. There’s just over 12 minutes left.

1.29pm: Kenny wins a corner for England once more. Nothing comes of it. Both teams probably could do better with their set-pieces. I may have hinted at as much previously.

1.24pm: Italy substitution: Ghiglione comes on for Panico.

The Italians are in trouble now. They were content to sit back with a lead, but England have really turned it on since half-time, and are looking certain to score again.

1.22pm: NEARLY ANOTHER! Calvert-Lewin with lovely footwork finds his way to the touchline, crosses it along the six-yard box, but with Solanke waiting to pounce with an open net, an Italian defender gets in the way and the keeper collects.

1.21pm: GOAL! England have levelled. It’s Solanke. The pressure has told. A wicked ball in is palmed by the keeper straight to the Liverpool youngster, who rolls the ball into an empty net. GAME ON.

1.16pm: What an impact Ojo has made. Lookman plays in the Liverpool man, he works his way into the box and forces a great save from the Italian keeper.

1.14pm: POST! Sheyi Ojo has bent an effort, coming in from the right, and it’s just clipped the outside of the post having gone through a sea of bodies.

1.11pm: It’s an England onslaught here! Jonjoe Kenny plays a brilliant one-two with Calvert-Lewin, he fires a first-time shot from 20 yards which beats both the keeper and the post, by fractions.

1.10pm: Sheyi Ojo is on as a substitute and the first thing he does is fire a shot from 12 yards which is deflected just wide for a corner. It’s wasted. But nearly an incredible introduction.

1.09pm: SO, SO CLOSE! Solanke again, and this will have Liverpool fans excited. The midfielder goes on a marauding run, beating several men for pace, but as he’s off-balance unleashes a fierce drive which just goes wide of the post.

1.06pm: It’s all a bit scrappy, so far. England are basically camped inside Italy’s half – but that’s what they will want, they’re lethal on the break. Another wasted cross, though, goes behind and Italy have a goal-kick.

1.00pm: Right, we’re back underway. Italy have never made the U20s World Cup Final.

12.56pm: So, if you missed it earlier, Venezuela knocked out defending champions Uruguay on a penalty shootout.

It was the new, messy, A-B-B-A sort. What, you’d like to see a graphic portrayal of it? Don’t say I don’t deliver.

12.45pm: Half time. Orsolini’s early strike proved a blow to England, but that’s not put them off. It’s a good game, and still for the taking.

12.43pm: And it’s Solanke again, a fierce effort from 20 yards which was parried away by Zaccagno to safety.

12.42pm: CLOSE! It’s Chelsea’s Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke, who flicks a header at the near post just wide of the far post. Good ball in from Walker-Peters, too.

12.40pm: Harrowing moments for England, who scramble an Italian corner away, and the resulting shot causes another goalmouth scramble, but fortunately falls for the Young Lions.

12.37pm: YELLOW! Favilli goes into the book this time for a cynical foul on Cook. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick. I know, who’d have thought it, right?

12.34pm: Calvert-Lewin, one of four double-barrelled names in the lineup, blasts a pass into touch. England need to keep their nerve, here. Speaking of which, Dowell scoops an effort well over the bar from 20 yards. As you were.

12.30pm: Jake Clarke-Salter had to be aware to block an Italy break, it went behind for a corner. Dowell clears the corner behind for another.

12.29pm: YELLOW! The goalscorer has been booked for a late foul on Tottenham youngster Kyle Walker-Peters. England have a free-kick some 30 yards out. It was horribly, horribly wasted. A pass *behind* the wall which actually just went straight *into* the wall.

12.24pm: Lewis Cook pulls a shot wide from all of 25 yards, and another spell of England pressure comes to nothing. In the meantime…

12.18pm: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has burst onto the football scene in Everton’s first team this season, piledrives a cross into row z.

12.17pm: CLOSE! England nearly have an equaliser, Dowell is unmarked at the far post, at a tight angle though, and he’s lobbed it just over the bar.

12.12pm: Nothing comes of it, and Italy have one down the other end. Which, of course, ends in nothing. Safe to say set-pieces probably won’t decide the game.

12.11pm: Well, England have a corner after some nice work from Lookman, Walker-Peters and Solanke.

12.09pm: You know, on second viewing, that strike was exceptionally similar to Messi’s late winner in El Clasico at the Bernabeu. If you’re trying to visualise it, anyway.

12.08pm: Well, what a start. England don’t seem to have been too demoralised by the goal, but certainly they have to manage the game carefully now. Can’t afford to bomb forward too early on – the Italians have already shown their prowess on the break.

12.03pm: GOAL! It’s for Italy, and what a harsh blow for England. The Young Lions had started on the front foot before suffering the sucker punch on the break. Riccardo Orsolini slammed home from the edge of the box on his left foot. A lovely strike.

12.01pm: Right, we’re underway. England have already had a corner. It’s a high-intensity start.

11.58am: We have three video assistant referees, and an assistant to the assistant referee. This is starting to resemble The Office (US, obviously) a little too much…)

11.46am: Venezuela have won it! They will play in the final for the first time in their history. They’ve knocked out the champions.

11.38am: Venezuela: ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅

Uruguay: ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ ❌

11.37am: Oh, this isn’t just any shootout, by the way. It’s the ABBA penalty shootout. Let’s do this. Someone please call for help, the Eurosport commentary team are destroying my ears with ABBA puns.

11.33am: We’re going to penalties in Uruguay v Venezuela, but the away side hit the post in the 120th minute, in what could’ve been the latest of wins.

11.26am: It could be a gigantic day for England, but Italy will prove fierce opposition.

11.19am: Italy (The Azzurrini)’s starting XI:

Zaccagno, Scalera, Dimarco, Romagna, Coppolaro, Orsolini, Mandragora, Favilli, Pessina, Vitale, Panico

11.16am: 45 minutes away from kick-off, and we are still no closer to knowing who the winner will face. Uruguay and Venezuela are deep into extra time, and the score is locked at 1-1.

11am: England’s starting XI for the match has been announced.

Woodman, Kenny, Cook, Tomori, Clarke-Salter, Maitland-Niles, Solanke, Lookman, Walker-Peters, Calvert-Lewin, Dowell