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In my preview of the final set of games in Group A, I had predicted a Russian victory. This prediction was based on the free-flowing football that Russia had played till then, and the holes that were evident in the Uruguayan midfield. However, Oscar Tabarez tweaked the formation for this game and the Russians could find no response as Uruguay coasted to a 3-0 victory. Here are 3 decisive moments that tilted the tie in Uruguay's favor and sealed their place at the top of the group.
1) 0' - Torreiro starts, Golovin doesn't
Both managers were trying to find the fine balance between resting key personnel for the knockouts and maintaining the winning momentum that their sides had developed. Both sides made 3 changes each, and two, in particular, stood out: Torreiro in for Uruguay and Golovin out for Russia.
Russia retained their 4231 formation but rested Aleksandr Golovin, opting to go instead with Aleksei Miranchuk. Golovin's link-up play with Cheryshev, in particular, was sorely missed as Miranchuk was unable to provide the creative spark expected from a number 10. The Russian offensive unit as a whole was a pale shadow of the attacking force that took them to the top of the goalscoring charts after two games.
Uruguay decided to change from a 442 formation to a 41212 formation, bringing Lucas Torreira into the side as a holding midfielder. The extra man in front of the center-backs afforded the full-backs more freedom to charge down the flanks, which eventually led to Russia losing a man later in the first half. In addition, the midfield trio of Torreira, Nandez, and Vecina were able to use their triangle shape to shackle Cheryshev, effectively nullifying the Russian attacking threat.
2) 11' - Suarez opens the scoring
As Suarez lined up to take the freekick, Cavani took up his position at the edge of the wall, blocking the line of sight of the Russian goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. As the kick was taken, centre-back Sergei Ignashevich pushed Cavani away from the wall, thinking that he was making it easier for his keeper to sight the ball. Instead he had inadvertently created an opening for Suarez to target, and Muslera was left wrong-footed as the ball sped into the back of the net. This was clearly a set-piece routine that had been practised on the training ground, and executed to perfection on match-day. 1-0 to Uruguay, and the tide was slowly turning away from the hosts.
3) 36' - Igor Smolnikov is sent off
Russia's first choice right-back Mario Fernandes was rested in favour of Igor Smolnikov and this was a decision that proved disastrous for the hosts. Having been booked in the 28th minute for a hard challenge on Edinson Cavani near the halfway line, one would have expected Smolnikov to tone down his aggression for the remainder of the match. Instead, another rash tackle as Diego Laxalt sped down the left flank gave the referee no other option than to issue him his marching orders just 8 minutes later.
The ramifications of the sending-off were far more serious than just losing a player on the pitch. Manager Stanislav Cherchesov immediately turned to Fernandes to regain some sense of stability at the back and opted to bring him on in place of Denis Cheryshev. With Golovin rested for the game and Dzyuba looking isolated up top, the substitution of Cheryshev only served to remove whatever little attacking threat the Russians had posed till that point. Trailing by two goals, down a man, and with their star player back in the dugout, this was the moment that put the game well and truly beyond Russia's reach.
