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Uruguay beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Rostov-on-Don in their second Group A encounter to secure qualification to the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
A goal from Luis Suarez in the first half was enough to guarantee the three points for Oscar Tabarez's men to move into the knockout stages of the tournament. Uruguay tied group leaders Russia on six points but goal difference sets the two teams apart.
The 2010 World Cup semi-finalists will meet Russia in their final group game on June 25 whereas Saudi Arabia will look to open their points account against Egypt and finish the tournament on a high.
On that note, here are the 3 things that Uruguay did right:
#3 Rock Solid Midfield
The central midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Matias Vecino had an excellent game defensively. The pair seemed to have a great sense of understanding and communication between each other as they played a crucial role in Uruguay's win.
Bentancur was not afraid of putting his body on the line and completed four successful tackles along with two interceptions. His partner, Vecino also committed forward for challenges as he blocked a long-range effort and made a couple of good neat tackles.
However, the duo were not very influential when it came to the attacking end. Despite having a pass accuracy in the high 80s, both Bentancur and Vecino did not provide any significant service into the box that caught out the Saudi Arabian defense and it is an area on which they will have to improve keeping the future games in mind.
Veterans Carlos Sanchez and Cristian Rodriguez were more than a handful playing out wide, as they helped defensively too and their experience was immaculate on the pitch for the likes of Bentancur and Vecino especially before they were substituted at respective intervals in the second half.
Sanchez provided the assist to Luis Suarez's goal as his corner kick forced an error from goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, who attempted to punch the high whirling cross and left his goal wide open before the ball ended up at Suarez's feet for an easy tap-in
#2 Suarez scores on his 100th appearance
Luis Suarez became the sixth Uruguayan footballer to reach the milestone of 100 appearances for his national team. He follows Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani as the third striker to join this list and it proved to be a very memorable game for the Barcelona man.
It was a simple goal for the 31-year-old as an error in judgment by the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper of a corner kick left the goal open that allowed for a Suarez tap-in as he netted in his 52nd career goal for Uruguay on his momentous day.
Suarez had five shots in total against the Saudi Arabians but just like the previous game, he once again missed some great opportunities that hurt his and the team's chances as they were able to finish with just a solitary goal and were not unable to close the gap on the goal difference of Russia.
However, Luis Suarez did tie Forlan as the second joint top scorer for his country in World Cups and became the first Uruguayan footballer to score in three different World Cup tournaments.
#1 Round of 16 beckons for Uruguay
The 1-0 win ensured Uruguay's passage to the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Le Celeste is level on six points with Russia but the World Cup hosts hold the advantage due to a better goal difference.
Similarly, Russia have scored more goals in the tournament, eight, compared to Uruguay's two. Both the teams will clash against each other in the final group A fixture on June 25 with the victor taking first place.
But a stalemate will favour Russia as they will finish on top due to a superior goal difference. A win is a must for Uruguay if they wish to avoid World Cup favourites Spain in the Round of 16, should the Spanish finish first in their group.
Oscar Tabarez's men have looked jittery in the tournament thus far as they have lacked a certain cutting edge that has seen them squander multiple opportunities in front of goal and it has severely affected their chances of having a higher goals tally.
The Sky Blues will have to sharpen up in their final group match prior to their Round of 16 clash either against Portugal or Spain since repeating the same mistakes against quality opposition will certainly come back to haunt them if they end up short.
