Uruguay 0-2 France
We’ve been so spoilt by FIFA 2018 that SBOBET fans lamented a whole two days without football.
Thankfully, the schedule means you don’t have to wait too long for your football fix.
As far as aesthetically pleasing encounters go, this was never going to be one of the FIFA 2018 highlights. But it was always going to be compelling.
Highlights of the game
That’s because they’ve got quite a history, these two.
That was reflected in a bright start in a potentially fascinating clash of styles between two teams armed with world-class players.
Uruguay edged the first half which was notable for few clear-cut chances, a few sneaky getting-to-know-you challenges and a bit of the dark arts.
Then Uruguay, boasting the joint meanest defence in the competition until this point, were breached for only a second time in the tournament.
Rodrigo Bentancur picked up a yellow card for a late tackle on Corentin Tolisso and, from the resulting free-kick, Antoine Griezmann delivered an inviting free-kick which Raphael Varane expertly flicked home with his head.
With a stuttering run-up, Griezmann had caused hesitation in the Uruguay ranks to put France ahead.
If the goal was a sign Les Bleus would throw off the shackles as against Argentina in the previous round, we were mistaken, but it proved the start of a key few minutes as France went on to take control.
The South Americans had hit back and were unfortunate not to level straight away.
Captain Hugo Lloris kept out a rasping drive from Nahitan Nandez and then produced one of the saves of the tournament to palm away a Martin Caceres header which was destined for the bottom corner.
Diego Godin blazed the rebound over the bar from just a few yards as the atmosphere in Nizhny Novgorod went up a notch.
Uruguay had come out to play and briefly looked like they could hurt Les Bleus which made their lack of drive in attack in the second half surprising.
The spell before half-time had clearly lifted France, flattened Uruguay and was to prove decisive.
For some time, it must have been unusual viewing for fans of Atletico Madrid.
Griezmann met his club team-mates Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez at Madrid airport last year, wearing an Uruguay jersey when they flew back after clinching World Cup qualification.
He has even said his close relationship with the duo – Godin is the godfather of Griezmann’s daughter – has made him feel ‘part Uruguayan’, a statement which irritated frontman Luis Suarez.
However, it was clear friendships had to be put to one side on the pitch, and Griezmann was giving France a spark their opponents were lacking in the absence of their talismanic Last 16 hero Edinson Cavani (missing with a calf injury sustained in the win over Portugal).
Neither man could have believed what they witnessed on the hour when the game-sealing goal was scored.
Fernando Muslera is an experienced goalkeeper and must have dreaded this moment.
It was far from the only goalkeeping howler of the tournament, but in flapping at and letting a powerful but straightforward Griezmann shot go past him, the tie was over.
Griezmann, respectfully, didn’t celebrate.
Uruguay were deflated enough.
Tempers briefly frayed as it became clear Uruguay’s was a lost cause and France had their first victory over La Celeste in nine matches, a run stretching back to August 1985.
They are winning even when not at their fluent best – a sign of a nation with their name on the trophy?
Key statistics
France are now unbeaten in their last 10 World Cup matches against South American sides (won six, drawn four) with a clean sheet in eight of those games.
Griezmann has now scored seven goals in six appearances in knock-out stages of major tournaments and three at this World Cup.
This was the fourth time Uruguay and France had met at a World Cup, but it was the first time in the knockout stage. Uruguay beat the French 2-1 in 1966 while both their meetings at the group stages in 2002 and 2010 ended goalless.
Veteran Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez was actually in charge of the national team when they competed at Italia 90.
France have never lost a World Cup game when winning at half-time (won 20, drawn one).
Uruguay have failed to win any of their last 17 World Cup matches in which they’ve conceded the first goal.
What’s next?
The FIFA 2018 odds on a thrilling attacking semi-final are clear with France now awaiting the winners of the Brazil-Belgium quarter-final.
Uruguay head home and are next in action in early September against Mexico.
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