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Uruguay submits to Canada, Alonso will wait for Araujo

Thanks to goals from Nicolás De La Cruz and Darwin Núñez in the first half, Uruguay rounded off a good test on Tuesday by beating Canada 2-0 in a friendly match between teams that will take part in the World Cup in two months.

De La Cruz opened the scoring by taking a free kick from the left flank in the sixth minute. The offensive midfielder nailed the ball into the upper corner of the goal defended by Milan Borjan.

Uruguay’s effectiveness offset Canada’s greater possession of the ball.

With the attacking partnership made up of Luis Suárez and Núñez, La Celeste generated constant danger.

After half an hour in the Slovak city of Bratislava, Suárez caressed the second goal with a volley shot that went just wide. But Núñez headed in the 33rd minute to a cross from Suárez for 2-0.

“In general terms, we played very well in the first half, we were able to be aggressive in pressing,” remarked Uruguay coach Diego Alonso. “In the last 15 (minutes) I feel like we lost control a little bit because we played too much in transition.”

They were the last blanks of these teams prior to the announcement of their squads prior to the World Cup in Qatar that will start on November 20.

Uruguay, which had just lost 1-0 to Iran on Friday, will debut on the 24th against South Korea. Portugal and Ghana will be their other rivals in Group H.

The friendly against Iran provided a noticeable loss for Celeste, as their defender Ronald Araujo suffered an avulsion of the adductor longus tendon in his right thigh. The Barcelona player will undergo surgery on Wednesday in Finland and his presence at the World Cup is in danger.

Alonso referred to the situation of one of his main chips and stated that he will wait for the 23-year-old player until the last moment.

“I told Ronald in private: I’m going to wait for him,” said the Uruguayan helmsman. “We believe on a medical level that he has clear options to be able to reach the World Cup.”

“Let’s wait for the evolution… I’m going to wait for the 26 that I have in my head until the end,” he added, referring to the maximum allowed number of players that can be summoned.

Canada returns to a World Cup for the first time since 1986. Its debut will be on November 23 against Belgium in Group F completed by Croatia and Morocco.

The Canadians were coming off a 2-0 victory over Qatar.

Although down on the scoreboard in Bratislava, Canada had more possession and generated a good stream of chances. Alistair Johnston missed the equalizer with a header that went wide from Alphonso Davies’ cross in the 12th minute. Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet covered a left-footed shot by Cyle Larin at 24 minutes.

Both teams made numerous changes after the break and the match became boring. The Canadian pressure became intense in the last half hour – Davies demanded Rochet again – but they did not find a way to pierce the Uruguayan goal.

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