Luis Suarez scores in his 100th appearance for Uruguay. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)
Uruguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0
Group A, Rostov Stadium, Rostov-on-Don
As the second half began, the match was continuing to live up (or down) to its modest expectations, best described by one announcer as “sleepy.”
But a minute after entering the match in the 59th minute, Diego Laxalt nearly found the net. No score, though.
Saudi Arabia is surprisingly more disciplined than it was in its opener and has controlled the ball better, forcing Uruguay to drop deeper than most expected. For its part, Uruguay has looked uninterested at times but still managed to take a lead into the locker room at the half thanks to a goaltending blunder by the Saudis.
Injury update
Taisir Al-Jassam goes off with a hamstring injury, replaced by Housain Al-Mogahwi. In the 59th minute, Lucas Torreira and Diego Laxalt came on for Matias Vecino and Cristian Rodriguez for Uruguay.
Goal!
In his 100th appearance, Luis Suarez notched his sixth World Cup goal for Uruguay, this one coming at the 22-minute mark. Suarez found the net on a tap-in at the corner into an empty net. It was his 52nd goal for the national team.
Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais swiped at the ball and, when he missed, it went to Suarez for the easy score.
Saudi Arabia misses a chance
It’s a warm, muggy day and, after barely touching the ball in the first two minutes, Saudi Arabia got a chance on a free kick just outside of Uruguay’s penalty area.
Mohammed Al-Breik’s attempt was headed off by a Uruguay player in the middle of the line.
Almost 17 minutes into the match, Saudi Arabia has a slight possession edge, a decided improvement in disciplined play over its last game.
Pregame observations
This, really, isn’t what Saudi Arabia needed. After giving up five goals in its loss to Russia, the lowest-ranked World Cup team, next up for the Saudis is Uruguay, a South American power with stars Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. And, as if that weren’t enough, Uruguay figures to be testy after squeaking past Egypt, 1-0, on a late goal, after Suarez missed on three chances.
Gulp.
There is a bright spot, though. The second-lowest ranked World Cup team, Saudi Arabia has never lost to Uruguay, winning a friendly in 2002 and playing to a draw in a 2014 friendly.
“We need to keep a cool head,” defender Jose Gimenez, who scored in the 89th minute against Egypt, told reporters (via Reuters). “We know that any game here is very hard, and we need to think of it that way.”
Suarez, who was barred from the 2014 tournament for biting an opponent and was roundly ripped for drawing a red card in a victory in 2010, is making his 100th appearance for Uruguay. A win would put Uruguay in the next round; a loss would eliminate Saudi Arabia.
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Starting lineups
Uruguay Coach Oscar Tabarez has made two changes after the victory over Egypt: Carlos Sanchez and Cristian Rodriguez replace Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Nahitan Nandez at midfield. The Green Falcons made four changes, with Mohammed Al-Owais, Ali Al-Buhaili, Hatan Bahbir and Fahad Al-Muwallad coming on.
A scary trip to Rostov
For Saudi Arabia, merely getting to Rostov-on-Don was problematic. Its plane landed safely after a terrifying incident in which one of the engines caught fire Monday night. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation tweeted a statement, saying that it “would like to reassure everyone that all the Saudi national team players are safe, after a technical failure in one of the airplane engines that has just landed in Rostov-on-Don airport, and now they’re heading to their residence safely.”
How to watch on TV: Fox.
How to stream online: Fox Sports and the Fox Soccer Match Pass apps and FoxSportsGo.com.
How to watch in Spanish: Telemundo
Team profiles
Uruguay (1-0-0, 3 points)
- Last World Cup showing: Round of 16, 2014.
- Best finish: Champion, 1930 and 1950.
- Notable: Uruguay hopes to reach the knockout round for the third straight time. It finished in fourth place eight years ago in South Africa.
- FIFA world ranking: 14. ELO world ranking: 11.
Saudi Arabia (0-0-1, 0 points)
- Last World Cup showing: Group stage, 2006.
- Best finish: Round of 16, 1994.
- Notable: In three World Cup appearances since making the knockout round in its 1994 World Cup debut, Saudi Arabia has failed to win a game and has finished 28th, 32nd and 28th. That ugly trend continued with a 5-0 loss to Russia in the opener; the Green Falcons have now been outscored, 31-4, over that span.
- FIFA world ranking: 67. ELO world ranking: 68.
Players to watch
The focus for Uruguay will continue to be stout defense and getting the ball to Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, the top two goal scorers in the history of Uruguayan international soccer. Mohammad al-Sahlawi, who scored 16 goals during qualifying, shares the distinction of being the top scorer worldwide in 2018.
What’s next
Complete World Cup standings and schedule
Uruguay: vs. Russia in Samara, June 25, 10 a.m.
Saudi Arabia: vs. Egypt in Volgograd, June 25, 10 a.m.
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