Match report: Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Luis Suarez scored the winner as Uruguay booked their passage to the knockout stages with a match to spare.
Full-time: Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! It’s all over and Uruguay take the points courtesy of Luis Suarez’s first-half tap-in. It was a dull, dull game but Uruguay fans won’t care. Their side is through to the last 16 and will play Russia to see who tops the group.
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90+4 min: Al-Faraj tries to pump the ball into the Uruguay penalty area from deep, but it’s cleared. And now it’s all over - Uruguay have won.
90+3 min: Uruguay have a corner, which they are in no hurry to take. Suarez takes it short and is then harshly penalised for just trying to protect the ball.
90+1 min: The clock ticks on and Saudi Arabia’s hopes of making the knockout stages are fast evaporating. Their match against Egypt in the Volgograd Arena will have nothing at stake but pride.
90 min: In a word: no. Al-Faraj sends the ball deep and Kano gets his head to it. He has to lean backwards, however, and steers a very weak header into the welcoming arms of Muslera.
89 min: A corner for Saudi Arabia! Can they salvage something?
86 min: Cavani brings a smart save out of Mohammad Al-Owais with a shot.
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84 min: Uruguay continue to lead by the only goal of the game, but Saudi Arabia look like they could play for another two hours and fail to trouble the scoreboard operator. They need a goal or they are out of the World Cup.
82 min: Uruguay substitution: Nahitan Nandez on for Carlos Sanchez.
80 min: Lucas Torreira shoots from distance and sees his shot take a deflection off Cavani. The ball drops just wide of the far corner after threatening briefly to go in the goal.
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77 min: Sanchez curls a free-kick into the Saudi Arabia penalty area, where three defenders take swipes at the ball and fail to clear it. It finds its way to Caceres, who shoots goalwards. His effort hits Godin and the offside flag is hoisted. Slapstick defending from the Saudis and not for the first time at a set piece.
77 min: Saudi Arabia substitution: Mohammad Kano on for Hatan Bahbir.
74 min: Saudi Arabia get forward ... then go backwards again. “They just look like a team that loves keeping possession but have no interest in doing anything with it,” says Phil Neville on BBC co-comms. “What they seem to forget is that there’s a set of goals at one end of the pitch that they need to get the ball into.”
72 min: Inside the last 20 minutes and another goal seems unlikely. And if Fate considers me to be putting temptation her way, she’s welcome to make a fool of me.
68 min: Martin Caceres gets above Salem Al-Dawsari to head a Carlos Sanchez corner over the Saudi Arabia cross-bar.
66 min: Hattan Bahbir whips the ball towards goal, but it’s headed clear by Luis Suarez. Al-Faraj returns the ball to the Saudi penalty area, but Muslera gathers comfortably in the absence of any opposing players.
65 min: Free-kick for Uruguay wide on the right for a foul on Carlos Sanchez. He takes it himself and his delivery is atrocious - Saudi Arabia gallop up the field on the counter-attack. Al-Mulwallad takes on Gimenez down the left flank and is upended. Free-kick for Saudi Arabia, wide on the left.
62 min: Uruguay take a quick free-kick from deep inside their own half, with Martin Cacares playing the ball in behind from deep. Edinson Cavani chases it down and holds it up for a few seconds, before curling a wonderful cross towards Carlos Sanchez at the far post. He wins the header, but sends the ball over the bar. He should have scored.
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60 min: Laxalt makes an ealry impact, going close to scoring with his first touch since coming on as he stretches to try and volley home.
59 min: Uruguay double-substitution: Lucas Torreira and Diego Laxalt on for Matias Vecino and Cristian Rodriguez.
56 min: Assorted Uruguay players control possession and ping the ball about in midfield before getting forward. Martin Cacares loses the ball and Saudi Arabia embark on a counter-attack, which quickly breaks down.
55 min: Move along now, nothing much to see here.
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51 min: A cross from deep is headed back across the face of Uruguay’s goal by Mohammad Al-Breik. Fernando Muslera claims comfortably.
49 min: Saudi Arabia concede a free-kick five or six yards outside their own penalty area after Carlos Sanchez takes a dive and cons the referee. Luis Suarez shoots, but his effort his batted away by Mohammed Al-Owais.
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47 min: Saudi Arabia get forward, with the first-half substitute Al-Moghawi attempting to cross from the left. His effort is blocked.
Second half: Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
46 min: Play resumes with no changes in personnel on either side.
Half-time: Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Peep! It’s half-time and Uruguay lead courtesy of a Luis Suarez tap-in on the back of a goalkeeping blooper from Mohammed Al-Owais. It was not a half of football that will live long in the memory, but Saudi Arabia have done OK and will fancy their chances of getting an equaliser.
44 min: Saudi Arabia substitution: Housain Al-Mogahwi on, Taisir Al-Jassam off. “I wouldn’t have gone back on,” says Phil Neville. “When your hamstring’s gone you get off and get somebody else on.”
43 min: Al-Jassam is helped off the pitch and promptly pushed back on by his manager while his replacement gets ready. He walks back on to the pitch and immediately sits down on the turf.
41 min: Saudi Arabia midfielder Taisir Al-Jassam stretches to win the ball and goes down clutching his thigh. Contesting the ball with him, Gimenez immediately signals to the Saudi bench that their man has done his hammy.
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39 min: On the BBC, Phil Neville is on co-comms and is pointing out how deep Uruguay have been forced to drop so deep against such apparently inferior opposition. Their two defensive midfielders are almost stepping on Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez’s toes.
37 min: OK, it’s Day Seven of this summer’s World Cup and I’ve watched every single match so far. This is the honestly the first time I’ve felt thoroughly bored – Uruguay and Saudi Arabia just isn’t doing it for me at the moment. Even some of the players look bored.
33 min: Saudi Arabia press forward with Hattan Bahbir teeing up Abdullah Otayf on the edge of the penalty area. He spurns a shooting opportunity, apparently to try and create a better one and is immediately crowded off the ball.
29 min: Diego Godin misjudges the flight of a cross from the left and the ball drops for Hattan Bahbir just inside the Uruguay penalty area. He stabs at it, but succeeds only in sending it high over the bar. I don’t think he was expecting that opportunity to fall for him.
28 min: Having come in for Abdullah Al-Mayouf, who had a shocker for Saudi Arabia in goal for the opening game against Russia, Mohammed Al-Owais didn’t cover himself in glory for the Uruguay goal.
The ball was swung into the mixer from the corner, he came off his line, stretched out an arm to punch it clear and missed it completely. It dropped kindly for Suarez at the far post and he made no mistake as he scored his 52nd goal in 100 appearances for his country.
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27 min: Nothing comes of the subsequent Saudi corner.
26 min: Hattan Bahbir cuts in from the right and shoots with his left foot, forcing Fernando Muslera to tip over his own cross-bar.
24 min: Saudi Arabia manager Juan Antonio Pizzi will be tearing his hair out. Uruguay had a corner, the Saudi organisation in their own penalty area was completely shambolic and when the ball came in, goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais flapped at the ball and missed it. It dropped to Suarez, who was completely unmarked at the far post as he tapped it into an empty goal from a few yards out.
GOAL! Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia (Suarez 23)
Uruguay lead courtesy of a Luis Suarez tap-in at a corner.
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21 min: Saudi Arabia get up the field and Fahad Al-Muwallad shoots from a narrow angle when he should have crossed.
20 min: Good play from Uruguay on the counter-attac, with Cristian Rodriguez playing the ball into Suarez as he bears down on the Saudi penalty area. He plays it wide to Edinson Cavanai, whose whipped cross back in to the penalty area is put out for Uruguay’s first corner by Yasser Al-Shahrani.
17 min: Cristian Rodriguez stretches every sinew to try and keep a long ball from the back in play. He gets a foot to it, but can only steer it wide of the Saudi Arabia goal for a kick-out. This is pretty grim fare, so far, but Saudi Arabia will be happy with how things are going.
15 min: Guillermo Varela gallops down the right wing and performs miracles to beat the ball to the byline and hook a cross towards Luis Suarez. He fires wide from a ridiculously tight angle and appeals for a corner, but the referee awards a goal-kick. Replays show the ball actually took a nick off Osama Hasawi.
13 min: Edinson Cavani stretches to reach a cross from Martin Caceres before shooting high and wide.
12 min: Al-Dawsari shows too much of the ball to Luis Suarez in midfield, then lunges in an attempt to win it back. Uruguay win a free-kick.
10 min: A fairly sedate opening 10 minutes in a very hot and muggy Rostov Stadium, types minute-by-minute reporter from windowless London bunker. Saudi have certainly upped their game since their opener against Russia, but they could scarcely have been worse.
7 min: Free-kick for Saudi Arabia in a good position a few yards outside the Uruguay penalty area, left of centre. Salman Al-Faraj wrestles the ball from Mohammed Al-Breik, apparently insistent on taking the free. He places the ball, but it’s Al-Breik who shoots ... straight into the wall. A decent couple of minutes from the Saudis, who have a corner. Nothing comes of it.
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5 min: Saudi Arabia get a cross into the Urtuguay box, courtesy of Salem Al-Dawsari. Muslera plucks it from the air.
2 min: Patient build-up from Uruguay, with Martin Cacaeres and his fellow defenders getting a few early touches of the ball. Saudi Arabia have barely had a touch in the opening two minutes. Rodrigo Bentancur plays the ball to Luis Suarez on the edge of the Saudi penalty area and his snap=-shot is blocked well by Ali Al-Bulaihi.
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia is go!
1 min: Saudi Arabia kick off, needing a draw to stay in this competition. They immediately lump the ball forward and within seconds the ball is at the feet of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. He plays it out from the back.
Time for the national anthems ...
Not long now: The teams make their way out on to the Rostov Arena pitch, with the players of Uruguay wearing light blue shirts, navy shorts and navy socks. Saudi Arabia’s players wear white shirts, shorts and socks.
A ton up for Luis Suarez: The striker makes his 100th appearance for Uruguay today and will no doubt be hoping it goes better than his 99th, in which he cut a very forlorn figure against Egypt.
Changes on both sides
Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez has Made two changes from the side that beat Egypt. Carlos Sanchez and Cristian Rodriguez coming into midfield for Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Nahitan Nandez.
Their opponents, the Green Falcons, are looking for a result to avoid elimination after their heavy opening-day defeat to hosts Russia. They make four changes, with Mohammed Al-Owais, Ali Al-Buhaili, Hatan Bahbir and Fahad Al-Muwallad all coming into the side.
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia line-ups
Uruguay: Muslera, Varela, Gimenez, Godin, Caceres, Sanchez, Vecino, Bentancur, Rodriguez, Suarez, Cavani.
Subs: Campana, Nandez, De Arrascaeta, Stuani, Gaston Silva, Torreira, Maxi Pereira, Laxalt, Gomez, Coates, Urreta, Martin Silva.
Saudi Arabia: Al-Owais, Al-Breik, Osama Hawsawi, Al Bulaihi, Al-Shahrani, Bahbir, Al-Faraj, Otayf, Al-Jassam, Al Dawsari, Al-Muwallad.
Subs: Al-Muaiouf, Al-Harbi, Omar Hawsawi, Al-Shehri, Al-Sahlawi, Al-Khaibri, Kanno, Al-Khaibari, Al-Moqahwi, Asiri, Motaz Hawsawi, Al-Mosailem.
Referee: Clement Turpin (France)
Early team news
Uruguay’s’s squad have a clean bill of health but could maker changes after a few players mainly midfielders – failed to impress against Egypt. While Saudi Arabia’s players are all fit, their match against Russia suggested a few not necessarily fit for purpose. With his job reported to be on the line, Juan Antonio Pizzi may replace goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais with Abdullah Al Mayouf, among other changes.
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Guardian World Cup Football Daily
We’re recording a podcast every night there’s football during this World Cup and yesterday’s episode overtook Love Island: The Morning After to top the iTunes charts. If you’re not already on board, find out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing by giving it a listen and then subscribe in all the usual pod places.
Here are a few reminders as to what to expect from both sides.
Group A: Uruguay v Saudi Arabia
Uruguay started their campaign with a win, beating Egypt 1-0 in Ekaterinburg. By contrast, Saudi Arabia got hammered 5-0 by the energetic Russians at the Luzhniki Stadium, in a match many thought they might win. With revitalised Russia on six points, defeat for Saudi Arabia will guarantee their elimination and may well cost their manager, Juan Antonio Pizzi , his job. Kick-off is at 4pm (BST) but stay tuned for team news and build-up in the meantime.
