Anderson Duarte’s strike from the edge of the penalty area put Uruguay through to the Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 win against Gambia on Thursday.
Uruguay plays the United States, which beat New Zealand 4-0 on Tuesday, in the last eight on Sunday at the tournament hosted by Argentina.
Both teams lost players to red cards in the hard-fought match in Santiago del Estero. Mansour Mbye’s ejection left Gambia a man down from the 17th minute, while Uruguay’s Luciano Rodriguez was sent off shortly before the break.
Uruguay wasted several opportunities to double its lead against a tired Gambian team that had few chances to equalize after Duarte scored in the 65th with a low left-footed shot into the corner.
The winner of Uruguay vs. U.S. will play Brazil or Israel in the semifinals.
South Korea beat Ecuador 3-2 later Thursday in one of the best matches of the tournament. The South Koreans opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a crossed volley by Lee Young-jun. Bae Jun-ho added a second eight minutes later in a counter-attack.
Ecuador scored from the spot in the 36th, with Juan Cuero’s goal confirmed after a video reviewed decision.
South Korea scored its third with a header by Choi Seok-hyun three minutes after the break after a mistake by the Ecuadorian goalkeeper. Ecuador pulled one back via Sebastian Baquero in the 84th and kept the pressure up until the final whistle.
The South Koreans will face Nigeria in the quarterfinals, with the winner playing either Italy or Colombia in the semifinals.