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It was expected from the start that Uruguay would win the game, but no one could have thought it would be this close, and certainly not when Egypt did not even have Salah as Uruguay stumbled to a last clutch winner from Gimenez to beat Egypt 1-0 in their first game of WC 2018.
Not often does a football match deliver everything that was expected - Egypt were extremely organized in defence, Godin was a rock at the back; Elneny is a god when playing for Egypt, and Suarez was pretty awful.
Despite several assurances from Tabarez that Salah was fit, he was not subbed into the match and cut a sorry figure on the bench as the cameras zoomed into him the moment Gimenez's header hit the net.
As always, there were a few individual battles that went a long way in deciding the final outcome of the game. Here's a look at 4 of them:
#1 Jose Gimenez vs Trezeguet
While everyone was waiting for a Cavani banger or a Suarez tap-in to put Uruguay ahead, their answer came in the form of an unlikely saviour - a perfect header from Jose Gimenez, who jumped above Godin to head home the goal and thereby secure 3 points for his team.
Even without the goal, Gimenez was the best player on the pitch along with captain Diego Godin. The pair was hardly ruffled by anything the Egyptians conjured around them and were ruthless in the air to make sure that no cross could ever find its man.
Mahmoud Hassan 'Trezeguet', hobbling on one leg by the end of the game, was one of those players who gave this game their all. Four or five times, he tried a one-two with El-Said, only for the final ball to be just a few yards too slow or too fast but other than that it was a solid display from the winger.
If Salah can return to fitness in the next game, it might be possible for Egypt and Trezeguet to really get better offensively, as otherwise, they lacked a tooth here. It doesn't help that they came across two of the best defenders in the world.
#2 Ahmed Fathy vs Martin Caceres
Asked to captain the side in the absence of legendary keeper El-Hadary, Ahmed Fathy more than did his job and a draw would have been fitting for the performance he delivered. Unfortunately, he had to end up on the losing side.
The right-back hardly put a step wrong in both offence and defence and was one of the main reasons why Suarez spent most of the match looking irritated. Fathy cut out anything that dared to enter from his side of the pitch, and gave no space whatsoever for the Uruguayans to operate.
Martin Caceres, the left back for Uruguay, found himself often facing Fathy and naturally did not have the greatest of games. And on the rare occasions, he did manage to cross the ball in, there was too much weight on it and sailed past Cavani waiting in the middle.
To his credit, Caceres was solid in defence but that can be attributed more to the Egyptians being clueless in attack. At 31, Caceres is found wanting in pace at times, and it will be interesting to see if he will start the next game.
#3 Ahmed Hegazi vs Luis Suarez
It has been the constant complain of Barcelona fans that Luis Suarez just isn't the same anymore, and is in constant decline. This match was a prime exhibition of the fact, and it is unbelievable just how true it is.
Suarez had three chances to put Uruguay in front, two of them being provided by Edinson Cavani. The first should have been the first goal for the team, but Suarez side-netted the ball with an open goal ahead of him.
The second ended up being a great save from the Egyptian keeper, while Suarez took one touch too many on the third to end up never taking the shot. A lot of credit should go to Hegazi as well for keeping Suarez under wraps.
The West Brom centre-back has just come off a great season for the club and continued it for the national side by his dominating presence in the air. He was to Egypt what Godin was to Uruguay, except for the goal - the only header on the night he failed to latch on to.
#4 Tarek Hamed vs Rodrigo Bentancur
Tarek Hamed might have stayed on the pitch for 50 minutes, but as long as he was on it was impossible to determine that Uruguay was the favourite of the two sides. It was only after he was taken off that Uruguay could find spaces to exploit in the midfield.
'Major-General', as he is called in Egypt, was all over the pitch and stopped most of the decisive balls the Uruguayans tried to play through him. Even though he was outnumbered by Vecino and Bentancur, it hardly looked like it.
Once Hamed was out, Bentancur began making the passes he was supposed to and got more time and space on the ball to utilize. Of the new generation players deployed in midfield today, he was the only one who wasn't taken off.
He also used his height in the air well to help out against crosses, but his decision making skills when making the forward passes left a lot to be desired.
Who do you think will qualify from Group A? Let us know in the comments section below!
