A Neyser Villarreal hat-trick sent Colombia to the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 while Argentina also advance with an easy victory over Mexico.
Villarreal was the hero in Talca, scoring a 52-minute hat-trick to lead Colombia past Spain in a pulsating encounter.
The South Americans took the lead in the first half when Oscar Perea combined brilliantly with Jordan Barrera, who teed up Villarreal for the opener.
Spain fought back after the interval, as Jan Virgili nodded home a precise Jesus Fortea cross before Rayane Belaid fired a thunderous effort into the top corner to make it 2–1.
But Villarreal quickly restored parity, latching onto Jhon Renteria’s clever through-ball to slot home calmly.
The Colombian forward completed his treble late on, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to fire past the helpless Fran Gonzalez for the decisive goal.
Both goalkeepers made key saves in the closing stages, but Colombia held firm to secure a dramatic win.
Meanwhile, in Santiago, Argentina continued their impressive run with a comfortable 2–0 victory over Mexico.
Maher Carrizo opened the scoring early, pouncing on a rebound after Valentino Acuna’s shot was parried.
Substitute Mateo Silvetti sealed the result after the break, finishing coolly from Juan Villalba’s perfectly weighted pass.
Mexico’s frustrations grew as they missed a golden opportunity late on through Cesar Garza, before seeing Diego Ochoa and Tahiel Jimenez sent off in stoppage time for off-the-ball incidents.
Argentina coach Diego Placente praised his team’s discipline and adaptability:
“I’m very happy. It was a tough match against a great opponent. We knew we had to defend well and use our possession wisely, and the players executed perfectly.”
Argentina will take on Colombia in the first Semi Final.
Morrocco will face USA in the third quarter final by 20:00 GMT later today while France will take on Norway 00:00 GMT early Monday morning.
The winners will face each other in the second semi final as the FIFA U20 World Cup Chile 2025 continues.
