Full-time: They can’t. Saudi bow out, Uruguay are through to the last-16. Egypt are also out. This win also confirms Russia’s progress to the knockout stages. Tepid game compared to the riveting start we had today. Uruguay need to do a lot better. They were below-par today and just about managed to get the three points.
90+3’ Time’s ticking. Can the Saudis launch one last attack?
90+2’ Uruguay fans are waving their flags. Not sure if they have enjoyed what their team has dished out today. The two-time champions have a corner.
88’ Once again, Saudi impress in possession but can’t get the ball past Godin and Co. This has been the pattern unfortunately throughout the game.
85’ AlOwais makes a stunning point-blank save off Cavani, who pounced on a lose ball in the box after the opposition defence had lost it.
83’ Uruguay showing a little more spark going forward. Caceres gets to the by-line but the attack fizzles out, yet again.
79’ Yayy! We have a shot and Cavani nearly scored a freak goal. A long-range shot smashed the PSG striker’s head but went slightly wide.
73’ Once again, Saudis pounce on the ball as Uruguay show an aversion for possession. The ball stays in the middle of the park.
69’ Saudi continue to show spirit. Can they create something with it?
64’ Uruguay looking good but can’t do much from a free-kick. Saudis also make a mess of a free-kick. Wait, Another free-kick for Uruguay.
61’ GREAT CHANCE! Cavani from the left gets time and space on the ball and he delivers a peach of a cross to the back post. Sanchez, who made a late run, got a free header but his header was just wide of the post.
59’ Terrific from Ali at the back. Sanchez delivered a superb cross from the right and Cavani was preying in but a tremendous last-ditch clearance saved the day.
Two changes for Uruguay: Vecina and Rodriguez are off and in come Correra and Laxalt.
56’ More struggles for Suarez. There was finally some good link-up play but the No 9’s touch was poor. The attack fizzles out.
54’ Uruguay are back to being ragged going forward. The link-up play between midfield and the forwards continues to be poor. Tabarez is set to make some changes as we type that out.
50’ Suarez’s free-kick is parried away by Alowais, who dives full length to his left. Much better from the young Saudi goalie.
48’ Pizzi clashes with the touchline officials and gets a telling off. Uruguay start off in much better fashion than the first half.
The second half is underway.
Half-time: It’s been poor overall. Saudi couldn’t do much despite seeing much of the ball. Suarez has been scrappy at best but got another goal to his tally – from a poor goalkeeping error. Uruguay’s young midfield have not been able to hold on to the ball, giving away possession cheaply. They should have been controlling this game. Let’s hope the fare dished out in the second period is better.
45+1’ Ohh! Godin shows his experience as Fahad tried to reach for the ball. That was a masterclass in defending.
44’ Saudi’s worst fears have come true. Taisser comes of and is replaced by Hussain. What a shame if this is how the playmaker’s World Cup campaign ends.
43’ Saudis once again lose the ball in a dangerous area and the move comprising of Suarez and Cavani comes to nothing with the latter trying to free Sanchez.
39’ Taisser has stretched his hamstring while trying to reach for the ball at the edge of the area. It was horrific to watch. He is slowly limping back to the touchline.
37’ Saudis have 57 percent possession but the ball is swept aside from one side to the other.
35’ Suarez is still struggling to find a foothold in the game. Apart from the goal, he has failed to impress once again. Uruguay is losing the midfield battle so far.
31’ Sterile possession for some time and it is....the Saudis who have the ball. This is a bit of a surprise. They simply aren’t able to breach Godin and Co.
28’ WHAT A CHANCE – Hatan made a surging run and volleyed one just over the bar. Uruguay were in trouble had the Saudi No 9 controlled it better.
25’ There is no short of ambition from the Saudis. Hatan cut in and shot one from 30 yards out. It went narrowly over the bar. Not a bad effort.
23’ Ohhh! They are now attacking in droves and Cavani this time, had a shot on goal, but his shot went well wide of the post.
That was poor from goalkeeper Alowais. Attempting to punch the ball clear, he misses it completely and falls kindly to Suarez at the back post. Uruguay’s all-time top-scorer made no mistake.
20’ GOAL!!! LUIS SUAREZ CELEBRATES HIS 100TH CAP WITH A GOAL
19’ Uruguay orchestrate a stylish move but they broke their own momentum by taking a touch too many. Suarez and Sanchez orchestrate the move but Cavani’s final ball was poor, and was cleared out for a corner.
17’ Uruguay have a good spell on the ball but the attack fizzles out with Christian Rodriguez failing to control a long ball. There is still no rhythm to the play of the two-time champions.
14’ Suarez has his first attempt, a shot from close range which took a deflection off a Saudi defender and went out for a corner.
12’ Aaah! Attempt on goal from Cavani but the shot went well over the bar. Caceres had made a powerful run on the left to find the PSG striker with a cut-back. Cavani just couldn’t control the volley.
11’ Well...well..this is surprising. Uruguay just can’t get the ball. Hang on, they finally win it back as Salem clatters into Suarez while making a sliding challenge. Suarez, in all honesty, made a meal of it.
8’ Saudis continue to have the ball. Suarez and Cavani haven’t got a touch on the ball yet. There are men running on the flanks and waiting for space in the middle but there aren’t any shots yet.
5’ Saudis get a free-kick from 25 yards out. Vecino makes a clumsy challenge on Salman, who was making a surging run after finding space in midfield.
3’ As expected, Uruguay have taken little time to get off the blocks and Saudis are also having a good spell on the ball. Godin had to see out an attack with a last-ditch block and Muslera was watchful to snuff out a shot.
The countdown has begun. Expect a fired up Uruguay side.
The teams are ready. National anthems are underway...
If you didn’t watch this...well, you simply have to. This is how a bunch of kids celebrated after Uruguay’s stunning smash-and-grab win against Egypt.
Fun fact: Uruguay are looking to win the first two matches of the World Cup for the first time since 1954.
The lineups are out....
Saudi Arabia are winless in the last 11 games. Uruguay have only played Asian opposition twice, which were against South Korea. They beat the 2002 semi-finalists 1-0 in 1990 before beating them 2-1 in 2010.
Fun facts time: Saudi Arabia have not lost lost against Uruguay in the last two meetings.
Hello! Here’s what happened in the previous game.
Hello and welcome to the live updates of the Group A clash between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia at Rostov. Luiz Suarez will make his 100th appearance for Uruguay during this match, which he should be playing in.
The match should be routine and could secure Uruguay’s passage to the knockout stage, but with Suarez, football fans know that very few things are mundane. The last two World Cups have seen Suarez exit in ignominy. The Asians were taken to the cleaners in the tournament opener, crashing to a 0-5 defeat by the rampant hosts. The barrage of criticism back home should prompt a much-improved display from the Saudis. However, there are little hopes of them coming out of this fixture with even a point.
In 2010, the forward was sent off after making a last minute “save” against Ghana, which helped avoid defeat and saw the South Americans progress to the last four. The Saudis preparations were jolted by a mid-air mishap on Monday when the plane carrying them to Rostov suffered a fire in one of its engines. The aircraft landed safely after what one of the Saudi players called a “simple malfunction”.
“It was a small fire in one of the engines, the right engine, but the plane landed safely,” association president Ahmad Al Harbi told Saudi sports TV channel KSA.
(With inputs from AFP)