Tabarez defends ‘mature’ Suárez
Uruguay striker Luis Suárez arrived at the FIFA World Cup intent on putting disastrous previous tournaments behind him.
After one game, he has some work to do to make a positive mark.
Suárez was vilified in South Africa in 2010 for preventing a goal with his hand. Four years later, he was condemned for biting an opponent in Brazil. So Suárez arrived in Russia aiming to play a controversyfree World Cup that showcased his attacking prowess.
Although Suárez behaved in a 1-0 victory over Egypt in Yekaterinburg yesterday, the 31-year-old Barcelona player has yet to flip from villain to hero.
Suárez , one of the top strikers in the world, needs to score.
Booed by thousands of Egyptian fans from the start of the match, Suárez replied with a visible effort, only to lose the ball in promising situations. Suárez , who has a record 51 international goals for Uruguay, repeatedly showed his frustration in the first half.
After the break, things turned for the worse.
As Uruguay was pressing for a leading goal, his attacking partner, Edinson Cavani, set him up twice. But Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy stopped Suárez on both occasions.
GOALSCORING OPPORTUNITIES
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez defended Suárez after yesterday’s game.
“I’ve seen (Lionel) Messi and Pelé and Maradona and other great players not playing to their full potential in matches. This is not a sin,” Tabarez said. “Even playing not as well as he normally plays, he had three goalscoring opportunities, and the Egyptian goalkeeper stopped two of them. A lot of credit goes to him for that. This doesn’t bother me at all. I’m not worried.”
Tabarez often publicly supports Suárez , who he has known since Suárez played for Uruguay’s youth teams.
On Thursday, he said that Suárez, “without any doubt”, has matured.
Suárez will have at least two more Group A games to prove him right.