Italy eked past Zambia in the Under-20 World Cup Monday morning, 3-2, but it certainly wasn’t because luck was going their way.
The Azzurri had to play with 10 men for most of the match after a shockingly questionable red card decision (which you can watch in the video player above). There seems to be no obvious explanation for the red card, despite the fact a video assistant referee, or VAR, reviewed the play.
In the 40th minute, Zambia held a 1-0 lead when striker Edward Chilufya raced into the box, beating Italian defender Giuseppe Pezzella. Chilufya then couldn’t beat the Italian goalkeeper, but the referee pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty kick and sending Pezzella off with a red card.