Parma's Benjamin Cremaschi stars with brace as United States dominates Italy to secure quarterfinal spot in U20 World Cup

The U.S. wasted no time establishing control of the match, taking the lead after just 15 minutes through tournament standout Cremaschi.

The Inter Miami homegrown midfielder, who is currently on loan with Parma, reacted quickest after FC Dallas defender Nolan Norris saw his header cleared off the line, squeezing a close-range shot past Italian goalkeeper Jacopo Seghetti.

The early goal set the tone for a confident American performance, with Cremaschi continuing to influence play throughout the midfield in the win. 

Despite conceding the early goal, Italy battled back throughout the middle stages of the match and created several dangerous opportunities. The Italians came closest when they struck the woodwork midway through the second half, but ultimately couldn't find a way through the disciplined American defense.

With Italy pushing forward in search of an equalizer, San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris delivered the decisive blow in the 79th minute with a masterfully executed free kick. The 19-year-old curled a low shot around the Italian wall and inside the near post, leaving Seghetti helpless and effectively ending Italy's resistance.

The strike continued the U.S. team's trend of spreading goals throughout the roster, with Tsakiris becoming the 11th different American to score in the tournament. Cremaschi added his second goal of the match in the 93rd minute to ice the victory and cement his status as one of the tournament's breakout stars.

The midfielder set a record for goals at a single U20 World Cup, surpassing the previous mark of four goals held by Taylor Twellman (1999), Eddie Johnson (2003), Josh Sargent (2017) and Sebastian Soto (2019).

The U.S. will face the winner of Morocco vs. South Korea in Sunday's quarterfinal. This is the Americans' fifth-straight appearance at this stage of the tournament and eighth overall.