Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Sport

Uruguay edge Egypt 1-0

Egyptian defender Ahmed Fathy and Uruguay's Luis Suarez vie for the ball in their Group A opener in Yekaterinburg on Friday. (Reuters Photo)

YEKATERINBURG, Russia: Uruguay beat Egypt 1-0 in their World Cup opener on Friday, with Jose Gimenez heading in the winner in the closing minutes of an otherwise uneventful match.

Star forward Mohamed Salah was on the bench for Egypt's first World Cup match since 1990 after injuring his shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month's Champions League final.

The Group A encounter featured few good chances for either side before a late surge from Uruguay culminated in Gimenez's 89th-minute winner.

The result leaves Russia atop the group with three points after they routed Saudi Arabia 5-0 on Thursday. Uruguay also has three points while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have none.

Uruguay stars Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani wasted their chances. Suarez failed to beat goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy in two one-on-one situations and Cavani hit the post from a free kick with two minutes left.

Egypt has yet to win a World Cup match while Uruguay won its opening World Cup game for the first time since 1970.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.