Uruguay vs France: Can France finally get a win against Uruguay?
France will be hoping to overcome their hoodoo against Uruguay as they battle for a semi-finals spot at the Stadion Nizhny Novgorod on Friday.
Les Bleus secured their spot in the quarter-finals thanks to a thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina, during which rising star Kylian Mbappe netted a brace and ended Lionel Messi’s chances of winning the World Cup. Meanwhile, La Celeste dumped Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal out of the competition thanks to a double from Edinson Cavani. Although their defense was finally breached when Pepe equalized in the 55th minute, Uruguay soon regained control with Cavani’s second of the game seven minutes later.
However, Cavani’s participation in Friday’s game is in major doubt after the PSG star limped off injured last weekend. In a moment of sportsmanship, he was led off the pitch by Cristiano Ronaldo – despite his side losing the game – which naturally had the entire stadium on their feet applauding.
Cavani has scored three of his team’s seven goals so far, which thus puts more pressure on coach Oscar Tabarez to come up with an alternate solution. His other star striker, Luis Suarez, is also reportedly dealing with some fitness issues but is likely to feature as Uruguay are totally bereft of strong attacking options if the Barcelona man also has to sit this one out.
Uruguay is into the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2010 World Cup, and they are three games away from winning their first title since 1950. Whilst there’s still plenty of time to go between now and July 15th, Uruguay’s fans certainly are wondering if this could be the year the tiny nation finally ends their decades-long wait for the coveted title.
France’s supporters will also be asking the same question, as Les Bleus are also just three games away from clinching their first World Cup since 1998. The team’s defense hasn’t been as stingy as Uruguay’s, but their attack has certainly made up for it. Mbappe has three goals – more than anyone in the squad and the promising youngster will certainly hope to be a protagonist for his side as France look to finally beat Uruguay at a World Cup tournament.
Will they be able to overcome their hoodoo? Fortunately, they come into this game with a full-strength squad, but so far, it’s been four losses and two draws in all competitions for Les Bleus against La Celeste. Another interesting thing will be whether this game will be decided in normal time. In the round of 16, we saw three games: Spain vs. Russia, Croatia vs. Denmark, and Colombia vs. England all go to extra time and penalties, whilst Belgium vs. Japan was literally seconds away from having to go into an extra 30 minutes of play.
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: One of these teams will be going home, whilst the other will have a shot at featuring in the final in Moscow. Will France end their 20-year long wait? Or will Uruguay, who have quietly gone about their business at this tournament without much fuss, become South America’s first World Cup champion since Brazil won it in 2002?
