The Fortress of \'La Celeste\' Comes Tumbling Down

The French national team has torn down the Uruguayan fortress of defenses at their World Cup quarterfinal match in. With its 2-0 victory against Uruguay, France has sent a message to its semifinal foe, Belgium, who knocked out World Cup giants Brazil early on Saturday, Jakarta time.

AFP PHOTO/FRANCK FIFE

France\'s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris dives to stop the ball during the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Uruguay and France at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on July 6, 2018.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, KOMPAS – The French national team has torn down the Uruguayan fortress of defenses at their World Cup quarterfinal match in Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday (6/7/2018). With its 2-0 victory against Uruguay, France has sent a message to its semifinal foe, Belgium, who knocked out World Cup giants Brazil early on Saturday, Jakarta time.

“Today, our dreams come to an end,” Uruguay’s coach Oscar Tabarez told a press conference after the game.

“We gave everything we had in the first 20 minutes but could not exploit France’s problems. Then, they scored a goal and such details determined the quarterfinals. We discussed this during half-time, but we could not resolve it,” Tabarez said.

AP PHOTO/NATACHA PISARENKO

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera reacts after he was beaten by a shot from France\'s Antoine Griezmann for his side\'s second goal during the quarterfinal match between Uruguay and France at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Friday, July 6, 2018.

According to him, Uruguay had a new dream of winning the 2019 Copa America in Brazil. “We have new dreams which we will try to make come true,” he said.

France coach Didier Deschamps said that, before the match, his squad had been prepared to face a team with one of the strongest defenses at the tournament. In the last four matches, only one goal had been scored against “La Celeste”, when it defeated Portugal 2-1 in the Round of 16.

Deschamps said patience was the key to beating Uruguay. By using the same lineup as when it defeated Argentina, 4-3, France patiently unraveled Uruguay’s fort.

Slowly but surely, the tactics brought good results. In the 40^th minute, center-back Raphael Varane headed Antoine Griezmann’s free-kick assist. It was not easy to achieve but Varane had seemingly thought things through. He ran ahead of Uruguayan striker Christian Stuani and got to the ball first.

French players often attempted short assists to get around Uruguay’s strong defense line, protected by two persistent defenders Diego Godin and José Giménez.

AP PHOTO/DAVID VINCENT

France\'s Raphael Varane, second right, scores his side\'s first goal during the quarterfinal match between Uruguay and France at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Friday, July 6, 2018.

France’s efforts to break through Uruguay’s defenses were spearheaded by its rising star right forward, Kylian Mbappé. Uruguayan defender Diego Laxalt had to work extra hard to watch out for the movements of the 19-year-old, known for his excellent speed. Laxalt was visibly overwhelmed several times when Mbappé sprinted through Uruguay’s defense line.

Entering the second half, France scored another easy goal against Uruguay in the 61^st minute. Griezmann took a shot from outside the penalty area. Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera, playing in his 102^nd match for the national team, caught the ball but it then ricocheted out of his grasp and into the goal.

Muslera could only hang his head low afterward. “[The mistake] will haunt him for the rest of his life,” former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton said, as quoted by the BBC.

AFP PHOTO/MARTIN BERNETTI

Uruguay\'s forward Luis Suarez argues with Argentine referee Nestor Pitana next to France\'s forward Kylian Mbappe lying on the pitch during the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Uruguay and France at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on July 6, 2018.

Meanwhile, Griezmann kept calm without celebrating out of respect for Uruguay, which he has said is his second home after France.

“I did not celebrate the goal because, when I started, someone from Uruguay taught me the good and bad of football. I love Uruguayan culture and Uruguayans. I have respect for Uruguay,” Griezmann said.

“We have a team that can hurt all defenses and we will continue to improve this. We will continue with our playing style,” he said.

France will now face Belgium, with its roster of young players, in the semifinals. The fight for a ticket to the finals will be held in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday (11/7) at 1 a.m. Jakarta time.

Missing Cavani

Uruguay failed to use its opportunities to score goals in the match against France. La Celeste players put the French goal under threat several times, such as when Martin Caceres made a great header, which goalie Hugo Lloris successfully warded off. France were able stop many of Uruguay’s attacks with relative ease. As Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani had a calf injury and had to sit out the match, Uruguay’s attacks were blunt. Cavani could only sit silently and watch from the sidelines.

AFP PHOTO/FRANCK FIFE

France\'s forward Kylian Mbappe signs autographs at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Uruguay and France at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on July 6, 2018.