Egypt 0 Uruguay 1: Gimenez scores late winner against Salah-less Egypt

Uruguayan defender Gimenez scored a glorious header in the 89th minute to give Uruguay three valuable points in Group A

For the first 80 minutes, the biggest cheers in the second match of the FIFA World Cup 2018 were reserved for a man who watched the entire match from the sidelines. But then again, he was the man for whom more than a million Egyptains voted to be their president when he wasn't even contesting. 

All of that changed in the 90th minute though, when Salah, still in the dugout lent back in despair after Uruguay's defender Jose Gimenez headed a free-kick ball into the goal to seal a late win for his team in a match that was even for the most part.

Egypt were doing just fine even without their star man though. Lining up in a 4-2-3-1, the Pharaohs pressed tirelessly and were, in fact, tidy in possession. What let them down was their performance in the final third. But even wasteful in front of the goal were the men from Uruguay who had more chances but couldn't kick the ball inside the back of the net. The South Americans started in a 4-4-2 with Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani up front. The Barcelona man especially was wasteful on at least four different occasions.

In the 23rd minute, Suarez was all alone at far post but with defenders approaching, he sliced his effort into the side netting. In the 72nd minute, after an incisive pass from Cavani, Suarez looked to round off the Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy but played into his hands, literally. 

With the clocks nearing the 90th minute of the match they were expected to win, Uruguay suddenly stepped on the gas. Cavani was the prime motivator, who cracked a volley from just outside the box in the 82nd minute after a headed pass from Suarez but it was saved as excellently by the Egyptian keeper. Minutes later, Cavani curled a free kick that looked set to nestle into the back of the net but somehow forgot the address and hit the post instead.

Uruguay's Carlos Sanchez then delivered a free-kick from the right which Gimenez rose to head into the right-hand corner of the net. The decision to keep out their star man came back to haunt Egypt and a question lingers now: Should they have taken the risk? Also, their World Cup campaign has taken a hit and they would have to win against Russia in their next match to steady the ship. But from what Russia have shown in the opening match, that wouldn't be an easy affair either. 

Trivia: 

-- Uruguay defender José Giménez has now scored in consecutive appearances for the national team (also against Uzbekistan)

-- Ahead of Messi: Edinson Cavani was the top scorer in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, netting 10 goals for Uruguay

-- 10,221 - This game ends a wait of 10,221 days for Egypt to play a game at a World Cup finals - the last was on June 21st 1990, when they lost 0-1 to England. 

Fifa World Cup 2018 Day 2 starts off with a screamer between Uruguay and Egypt. Here is the line-up:

Egypt line up: Mohamed El Shennawy (GK), Ali Gabr, Ahmed Hegazi, Abdelshafy, Ahmed Fathi (C), Tarek Hamed, Mohamed Elneny, Abdalla, M Trezeguet, Marwan, Warda.

Egypt formation: 4-2-3-1 

Egypt might have a troubled time with Salah on the bench as Mohamed Salah has scored 47% of Egypt's past 13 competitive goals. He also contributed to seven of their eight qualification goals despite missing the last match.

Uruguay starts with 4-4-2 formation.

Full squad: Fernando Muslera, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Guillermo Varela, Martin Caceres, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nahitan Nandez, Matias Vecino, Luis Suarez, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Edison Cavani

The Egypt team has arrived at the stadium ahead of the match. Here's is the first glance of the team.

Egypt vs Uruguay: The 2018 Fifa World Cup kicked off in an impressive way at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium in Russia. Hosts Russia overcame their recent poor run to score five goals against Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener. This was Russia's biggest win since 1934. The electrifying opener is seen as a trailer of the excitement we can expect from the tournament.

The second game of the tournament is set to bring some real action. The South American heavyweight, Uruguay has strikers like Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, while the Pharaohs have Mohamed Salah. Mo Salah turns 26 today and fans are expecting a gift of appearance from Mo Salah. Both Uruguay and Egypt will aim to get their campaign off to a good start when they meet in a Group A clash at Russia's Ekaterinburg Arena on Friday. A positive result will mean a lot to Egypt as this will be the team's first FIFA World Cup appearance in 28 years.

The biggest cause for Egypt's concern has been the form of star forward Mohammed Salah. The onus will be on coach Hector Cúper if he decides to play him.

Salah had injured his shoulder while representing Liverpool in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, which had thrown his World Cup participation into jeopardy.

Going by the quality and World Cup pedigree of the two teams, Egypt are expected to face a tough battle when they step out for their first World Cup match since 1990.

On the other hand, two-time champions Uruguay will appear in their third consecutive World Cup. They were impressive at the 2010 World Cup, where they finished fourth. That was the first time they had reached the quarter-finals since the 1970 edition.

Uruguay played some good football at the 2014 World Cup, though they were eliminated in the second round after a 0-2 loss to fellow South Americans Colombia, Before that, Uruguay had created a splash during the group stages with back-to-back wins over England and Italy.

Importantly, this will be the third consecutive World Cup appearance for Uruguay's star players like Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin. That experience should hold the team in good stead.

When and where to watch:

The match will be telecasted live in English on SONY TEN 2, in Hindi on SONY TEN 3 and in Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu on SONY ESPN.

Time: 5.30 PM IST

For live streaming, the match can be streamed at sonyliv.com

Watch out for these players:

Luis Suarez - Uruguay: The 31-year old Barcelona striker is craving redemption after his misadventures in 2014 World Cup. Suarez scored 25 goals in 33 appearances for Barcelona in La Liga. Known for his infamous antics he is a force to be reckon with.

Diego Godin - Uruguay: The Uruguayan skipper is most experienced among the squad. He has 117 appearances for the national side. Godin's will spearhead Uruguyan defence.

Mohamed Salah - Egypt: After a stunning season with Liverpool, Salah's penalty guaranteed Egyptians a flight to Russia. According to reports, Salah is all set to feature against Uruguay in the first match of the campaign.

Edinson Cavani - Uruguay: The PSG striker has scored 40 goals in 2017/18. The 31-year-old was highest scorer in World Cup qualifiers.

Essam El Hadary - Egypt: El Hadary's is the oldest player to feature in the history of the tournament. At 45, Egypt's captain is expected to be one of the key figures as the country appears for World Cup in 28 long years.

23 man squad:

Egypt:

Goalkeepers: Sherif Ekramy (Al Ahly), Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun), Mohamed El Shennawy (Al Ahly).

Defenders: Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Al Fateh), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa), Ahmed Fathi (Al Ahly), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles FC), Ali Gabr (Zamalek), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion), Saad Samir (Al Ahly).

Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Abdallah El Said (Al Ahly Jeddah), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Mahmoud Kahraba (Al Ittihad Jeddah), Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic), Shikabala (Al Raed), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City), Mahmoud Hassan (Kasimpasa), Amr Warda (Atromitos).

Forwards: Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).

Uruguay squad:

Goalkeepers: Martin Campana (Independiente), Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama).

Defenders: Martin Caceres (Lazio), Sebastian Coates (Sporting), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Maximiliano Pereira (Porto), Gaston Silva (Independiente), Guillermo Varela (Penarol).

Midfielders: Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus), Diego Laxalt (Genoa), Nahitan Nandez (Boca Juniors), Cristian Rodriguez (Penarol), Carlos Sanchez (Monterrey), Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria), Matias Vecino (Inter).

Forwards: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain), Maximiliano Gomez (Celta Vigo), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Cristhian Stuani (Girona), Jonathan Urretaviscaya (Monterrey).