Uruguay narrowly won their first game at the World Cup in Russia after defeating Egypt 1-0 at the Central Stadium in Yekaterinburg on Friday, June 15. The Uruguayans failed to cover the spread at -1, while the game went under 2.5 goals. Oscar Tabarez’s side got three crucial points and they will be waiting for their next opponent Saudi Arabia with hopes of getting another victory.
Game Recap
Egypt defended well in the entire opening half and played aggressively without a ball, disallowing Uruguay’s wingers NahitanNandez and Giorgian De Arrascaeta to send usable crosses in the penalty box. Luis Suarez missed a big opportunity in the 23rd minute after a poor finish from the six-yard box, and that was the only real goal-scoring chance in the first 45 minutes. Those who backed Uruguay to win both halves at +129 must be disappointed by Suarez’s unimpressive display.
The second half began with another clear-cut chance for Suarez as Edinson Cavani sent him a perfect through pass, but the Barcelona striker couldn’t put it in thanks to excellent save from Mohamed El Shenawy. On the other end, Egypt couldn’t create a goalscoring opportunity because of the lack of quality in the final third, result of Hector Cuper’s decision to keep Mohamed Salah on the bench.
Uruguay switched to a higher gear in the final 20 minutes and created four big chances. Once again, Suarez bad decision kept the result at 0-0 as he decided to go round the keeper instead of shooting, while Cavani’s first-time volley outside the box was well parried by El Shenawy. We entered the dramatic last few minutes of the tilt when Cavani hit the post from the direct free-kick, but a minute later, the Sky Blue finally scored the opener. The substitute Carlos Sanchez sent a perfect cross that met Jose Gimenez’s header and Egypt’s defense capitulated with just one minute to go in the regular time.
This goal saved those who backed Uruguay to win at -200, but it wasn’t enough for the bettors who went with the -1 spread at -104. On the other hand, only one goal in this match means that everybody who backed under 2.5 goals at -143 can be happy, while the luckiest were the ones who played 1-0 correct score at +450.
The odds on Uruguay to win the World Cup can be found from +2000 up to +2800, which means that the Sky Blues are one of the dark horses to lift the trophy, while they are +110 to reach the quarter-finals. On the other hand, Egypt’s chances to win the World Cup, as offered by BetDSI Sportsbook, are smaller at +50000, while the Pharaohs are +1600 to go to the quarter-finals.
