International Friendlies and U-20 World Cup!

First thing is first: International friendlies. In Italy's match against Spain, it was a contest of global giants. Funny thing though, that it took place in Bari, Italy! By the end of it, the Italians stunned the team who were champions in the 2010 World Cup. It was a close contest which concluded 2-1. The Spanish were left out to dry. Alberto Aquilani was the man of the hour for the Italians as he scored the winner six minutes from time from the penalty spot. Riccardo Montolivo had given the hosts the lead before Xabi Alonso equalized from the penalty spot. In general, Italy had the better of the 1st half while Spain fought back in the 2nd. The other big-name match today came in the form of Germany's showdown with 5-time World Champions Brazil. Yes, Germany had a host of chances early on, but Júlio César was simply phenomenal when it comes down to it. Brazil had chances too, but a combination of luck and Manuel Neuer's skill was enough to deny them for a time. The break in the deadlock finally came, though it was from the penalty spot. It was Bastian Schweinsteiger who scored in the 61st minute after Lucio had taken Toni Kroos down. 6 minutes later it was 2-0 from a beautiful piece of field play as Mario Götze rounded Brazil's FC Internazionale Milano goalkeeper to score from a tight angle after superb interplay between Miroslav Klose and Toni Kroos. Brazil eventually drew themselves 1 back from the penalty spot as Robinho slotted home in the 72nd. Germany were quick to re-establish their supremacy with a third goal after Bastian Schweinsteiger dispossessed Brazil's André Santos and squared a ball for Andre Schürrle to strike into the net powerfully. Last of all, Brazil's Neymar drew Brazil 1 more back in the last minute but that was still 3-2 to the Germans! Meanwhile, in Colombia, the U-20 World Cup is 1 step closer to its completion. Brazil thrashed Saudi Arabia 3-0 in their match in Barranquilla. While the match was relatively uneventful in the 1st half, the 1st minute of the 2nd half came with a goal for the Brazilians: through Henrique in the 46th minute. Then, in the 69th, Gabriel Silva struck Brazil's 2nd to tighten the knot around the Saudi Arabians' neck. The final nail was knocked into the coffin in the 86th minute by Dudu. Spain v.s. South Korea was a lot closer though: they were 0-0 through the 1st and 2nd halves before eventually getting to penalty kicks. They were all even except for a miss from Kim Kyung Jung. That could have happened to anyone though, so the South Koreans will surely be pondering a lot of 'what ifs'. They, like the Saudis, had a good tournament though. France v.s. Ecuador and Nigeria v.s. England were also close games, but they each arrived at conclusions before penalties. The French were saved from the block with a goal from Antoine Griezmann in the 75th minute. It was a tough match and either side could have won it, France just were more capable when it came to it. Last but not least we have Nigeria v.s. England. As the last representatives of the African continent, Nigeria have quite a few hopes riding with them. England meanwhile have all of the supporters of the Three Lions behind them. It was a relatively uneventful 1st half before Edafe Egbedi slotted home in the 52nd minute to book the Nigerian's appearance in the Quarter-Finals.