Suarez cashes in as Saudis put to flight
Luis Suarez was the beneficiary of another air malfunction for Saudi Arabia as Uruguay became the second team to join hosts Russia in the last 16.
An engine on the plane carrying Saudi Arabia’s squad had caught fire as it came in to land at Rostov’s Platov International Airport ahead of this match. Fortunately, no one came to any harm, but that would not prove the end of the team’s troubles in the air.
Only Mohammed Al-owais will know what he was trying to achieve as the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper came careering off his line, jumped more in hope than any expectation of catching Carlos Sanchez’s corner and watched as the ball sailed over his head and into the path of Suarez to score what would prove the decisive intervention of a closely-fought game.
It was the Barcelona forward’s 52nd goal on his 100th appearance for his country, quelling some of the criticism that greeted his performance against Egypt, and he celebrated by putting the ball up his shirt and sucking his thumb in tribute to his wife, Sofia Balbe, who is thought to be pregnant with their third child.
“I am very pleased to have scored, but the main thing was to win to secure progression to the next round,” Suarez said. “But we must still fine-tune a few things as we have not been at our absolute best.”
Uruguay will face Russia in Samara on Monday to determine who tops Group A, but if the hosts have breezed unexpectedly through the group, it has been more of a battle for the South Americans.
They required a stoppage-time goal to beat Egypt and, while largely comfortable here, encountered an obstinate Saudi Arabia side determined to atone for their shambolic 5-0 defeat by Russia that had sparked a national inquest. By the end, they were left to rue one glaring error that a player of Suarez’s quality was never going to pass on.
This was still not vintage Suarez by any means, even if his workrate could not be faulted, but then it was not vintage Uruguay either. They did enough, and could have scored one or two more, but they found the going tough for the most part against a Saudi Arabia team who were far more organised, compact and diligent in their work than they had been during that debacle in Moscow last week.
Shortly after Suarez scored, Saudi Arabia almost equalised. Martin Caceres was caught flatfooted and the lively Hatan Bahebri stole in only to direct his half volley over from Yasser Al-shahrani’s fine cross. Three of the players, including goalkeeper Abdullah Almuaiouf, who had started against Russia, were dropped after being rather sinisterly warned they would face “penalties” when they returned home.
“Luis fought hard and has special traits that he’s showcased at all his clubs,” Oscar Tabarez, the Uruguay coach, said. “He always shows his character and responsibility and takes on that pressure and lives with it all the time.”
Uruguay Saudi Arabia Referee