Uruguay beats Egypt 1-0 at FIFA World Cup with late goal

The Uruguay men's national football team has chalked up a last-gasp win in a 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup Group A match that looked like to be an uneventful goalless draw.

On Friday, the Uruguay side, nicknamed La Celeste (The Sky Blue), took the whole three points of the game played at the multi-purpose Yekaterinburg Arena when they overcame the Africans 1-0.

Egypt named a starting lineup without striker Mohamed Salah despite assertions from its head coach Héctor Cúper that the 26-year-old, who plays as a forward for English Premier League club Liverpool, was "almost 100%" certain to play in the Pharaohs’ opener against Uruguay.

La Celeste had the best chance of the low-key first half, but its 31-year-old striker Luis Suárez dragged a close-range shot into the side-netting.

Both teams failed to score a goal in the period and went into the cloakrooms tied at nil.

After the break, the Uruguay footballers were desperately in search of a scoring chance as the clock was ticking away and the match was drawing to a close.

They finally managed to impose themselves in the dying moments of the fixture, when Egypt keeper Mohamed El-Shenawy saved brilliantly from Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani.

Cavani then hit the post with a late free kick, before José María Giménez rose to meet a free kick from teammate Carlos Sanchez in the 89th minute, and secure Uruguay’s first win in a World Cup opening game since 1970.

Later in the day, Morocco will take on Iran in a Group B match at Saint Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium.

Portugal will face Spain in a Group B encounter at Fisht Olympic Stadium of Sochi.

During the official 2018 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony at Kremlin State Palace in the Russian capital city of Moscow on December 1 last year, the host nation, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay were put in Group A in the preliminary round of the tournament.

The Iran men's national football team, nicknamed Team Melli, has joined Portugal’s A Selecção, Spain’s La Furia Roja and Atlas Lions of Morocco.

France is drawn in Group C, and is pitted against Australia, Peru and Denmark.

Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria are drawn in Group D.

Group E consists of Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.

While the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion Germany, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea shape Group F, Belgium, Panama, Tunisia and England are in Group G.

Group H has Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 15. Russia will open the event against Saudi Arabia in a Group A fixture at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities.

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