England, Argentina in tougher path to Under-20 World Cup final; Brazil finds better road

By MAURICIO SAVARESE
AP Sports Writer

SAO PAULO (AP) — The knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup will feature all four South American teams that started the tournament, and only two European soccer powerhouses; England and Italy. The two will meet on Wednesday in the most anticipated encounter of the round-of-16. Two of the favorites in the tournament failed to advance: France finished third in its group and African champions Senegal, in fourth. Japan, which ended its group stage campaign in third position, also failed to qualify after a strong start. Among the teams advancing to the knockout stage, Argentina has six titles in the tournament, Brazil totals five and England won the 2017 edition.