Irish Daily Mail

Griezmann dumps out his Uruguayan pals

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ANTOINE GRIEZMANN may like to sip yerba mate from a gourd and hang out grilling meat with his Uruguayan chums, but his loyalties were not open to question as he claimed a goal and an assist to ease France closer to their World Cup dream. Griezmann’s quandary had dominated pre-match narratives since he admits to such deep affection for Uruguay and its culture, reinforced by his close friendship with Atletico Madrid teammates Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez. Godin is godfather to his daughter and he embraced his opponents with such emotion in the tunnel before kick-off that French eyebrows might have been raised had he not provided such an emphatic contributi­on to the win. Griezmann created the opener for Raphael Varane five minutes before halftime and settled this quarter final by firing in the second from distance with the help of a goalkeepin­g howler by Fernando Muslera. As France move to St Petersburg, Uruguay head for home with veteran manager Oscar Tabarez talking riddles about his own future, but surely planning to enjoy a deserved rest from the rigours of the touchline. ‘I have a contract but I am not going to speak about it,’ said the 71-year-old. ‘It is not for me to decide, I’d be acting against my principles. We always dream and we dream on. This defines our country, things never end. We must look to the future. ‘When I speak about dreams it doesn’t mean I expect to be there. ‘It has been a huge honour to be national team coach.’ Uruguay won their first four games in Russia, but were not the same attacking force without Edinson Cavani and rarely threatened France from open play. Cavani injured a calf muscle having scored twice against Portugal on Sunday and, after days of cloak and dagger around his fitness, he was not even on the bench. Without him, Uruguay’s self belief was damaged and with it their famous fighting spirit. Luis Suarez bustled around, barging into people and trying to disturb the rhythms of the game but this task was beyond them and they knew it. Gimenez was sobbing on the pitch even before fourth official had held up the board to declare five minutes of stoppage time. Cristhian Stuani, who replaced Cavani, made a bright opening, but France took control and deserved a place in the last four. There was none of the flamboyanc­e they displayed against Argentina, but France proved able to grind out an ugly win when they needed to. URUGUAY (4-3-1-2): Muslera 5; Caceres 6.5, Gimenez 6.5, Godin 6, Laxalt 6; Nandez 5 (Urretavisc­aya 73min, 5), Torreira 6, Vecino 6; Bentancur 6 (Rodriguez 59, 5); Suarez 6, Stuani 6 (Gomez 59, 5). Booked: Bentancur, Rodriguez. Manager: Oscar Tabarez 6. FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Pavard 6.5, Varane 7, Umtiti 6.5, Hernandez 6; Kante 7, Pogba 6.5; Mbappe 6 (Dembele 88), GRIEZMANN 7.5 (Fekir 90), Tolisso 7 (Nzonzi 80); Giroud 6. Scorers: Varane 40, Griezmann 61. Booked: Hernandez, Mbappe. Manager: Didier Deschamps 7. Referee: Nestor Pitana (Arg) 6. Attendance: 43,319.

 ??  ?? Thanks: Griezmann celebrates with Varane after the opener
Thanks: Griezmann celebrates with Varane after the opener
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