Full time: Egypt 0-1 Uruguay The referee blows his final whistle, a brave Egypt side lose 1-0 to Uruguay in their World Cup opener. 90+5' Hegazi receives a yellow card for a challenge on Suarez. A couple of Egypt efforts is cleared by the defence at the death. 90' A lapse in concentration allows Jose Gimenez to rise unmarked and send a bullet header into the net to break Egypt's resistance. 90' Goal for Uruguay! 88' Another great chance for Uruguay! A curling free kick from Cavani rattles the woodwork. 86' Uruguay are laying siege to Egypt's area in the final five minutes. 84' Egypt keeper El-Shennawi is in an inspired form tonight. 83' El-Shennawi produces another brilliant save to smother a powerful volley from Cavani. What a save! 82' Egypt make their third substitution. Amr Warda is repalced by Ramadan Sobhi. 81' A looping effort from Elneny goes over the crossbar! Egypt look livelier in the dying stages. 79' A swift Egypt breakaway sees Kahraba makes a darting run down the left, but his low cross is intercepted. 75' Can Egypt hold firm in the last 15 minutes? They are defending in numbers. 73' Suarez spurns a third golden chance tonight! He escapes the attention of Hegazi to break clear after a pass from Cavani but El-Shennawi dives at his feet to handle the ball, to the disappointment of the Barcelona man. 72' A first-time shot from the brave Fathi is saved by Muslera. Egypt move the ball around smoothly. 70' Cavani controls the ball in the area after a goal-mouth scramble but his shot on the turn hits the arm of teammate Caceres. 67' A low cross from Kahraba is intercepted by Caceres. Egypt look more energetic upfront following Kahraba's introduction. 66' Fathi is making it difficult for any winger to launch any crosses. 64' Ahmed Hegazy clears a left-wing cross from Caceres as Uruguay pile on pressure. 63' Egypt make their second substitution. Deep-lying forward Mahmoud Kahraba replaces striker Mohsen. 61' Egypt's too many mis-placed passes in the final third hamper them. 60' Egypt's right-back Fathi is doing a great job in marking Suarez, who can find little space to operate. 58' Uruguay make a double substitution. Carlos Sanchez replaces Nahitan Nandez and Cristian Rodriguez replaces Giorgian De Arrascaeta. 56' Trezeguet sends a hopeful shot wide. He is yet to make his trademark dangerous runs behind the defence. 52' Trezeguet makes a marauding run but his pass to Marwan Mohsen is intercepted! It could have been a good chance for Egypt. 50' Egypt are forced to make a substitution. Combative midfielder Tarek Hamed, who is one of Egypt's best performers tonight, is replaced for Sam Morsy after picking up an injury. 48' It's now two wasted chances for the Barcelona marksman! 46' Egypt survive a certain goal! Suarez holds off Ahmed Hegazy after a chipped pass from Cavani but his close-range shot forces a brilliant save from Mohamed El-Shennawi. The second half is underway The referee blows his halftime whistle 45' An attempted one-two is intercepted by the Uruguay defence on the edge of the area. 43' An attempted bicycle kick from Abdallah El-Said fails and a cross from Ahmed Fathi goes to the far post, where Uruguay's defence comfortably clear. 41' Egypt sorely miss Salah upfront! No one is on the receiving end of the team's counter attacks. 38' Giorgian De Arrascaeta fails to properly control a fine threaded pass from Godin, who moves upfield. 37' Egypt keeper El-Shennawi handles repeated crosses from the right. 34' A tame Egypt cross is easily collected by Muslera. Egypt are organised at the back but are toothless going forward. 33' Egypt are still holding firm. Can they hold out against the mighty Suarez and Cavani? 32' A long-range free-kick from Suarez strikes the defensive wall. 29' Uruguay's Vecino sends a hopeful long-range shot wide of the post. 28' Muslera collects a cross from Egypt's Warda, who grow bolder as the match wears on. 26' Marwan Mohsen controls a short pass on the edge of the area, turns and shoots but his effort is too weak. 24' What a chance for Uruguay! Suarez hits the side netting with the goal at his mercy after a cross finds him unmarked. The first goal-scoring opportunity of the match.
23' A chance for Uruguay! Cavani flicks it over his challenger and sends a left-foot volley that deflects off Ali Gabr and goes out for a corner. 23' Mohamed El-Shennawi pushes away the ensuing corner kick. 22' Egypt right-back Fathi makes two timely tackles to prevent Suarez from crossing. 20' No clear-cut chances so far! 19' Mo Salah looks on from the bench and is repeatedly caught on television cameras. Will he be introduced tonight? 18' Egypt's Abdallah El-Said dives to earn a free kick and the referee warns him. 16' The free kick is floated into the area but Gabr barely flicks it as Uruguay defence clears. 15' Uruguay lose possession on the edge of the area and Egypt's Amr Warda is fouled. 14' At the other end, Suarez misses the target with a right-foot shot following a cross from the right. It was not close. 12' The first effort for Egypt! Trezeguet controls a ball in the area, swivels and shoots but his weak effort is blocked by Muslera. 8' Cavani tries his luck, sending the first shot on target. However, it's too weak to trouble El-Shennawi, who handles it. 7' Suarez and Cavani repeatedly move to the flanks to create spaces for their teammates. 6' Suarez sends a wayward long ball, into the hands of keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi. 4' Egypt are trying to keep possession in midfield, with Trezeguet exchanging passes with Tarek Hamed on the left. 2' Luis Suarez's attempt to penetrate the defence is blocked. Uruguay are expected to push forward in the early stages. The match is underway
Egypt's starting line-up: Mohamed El-Shennawi, Ahmed Fathi, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Hegazy, Mohamed Abdel-Shafi, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Abdallah El-Said, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Amr Warda, Marwan Mohsen. Uruguay's starting line-up: Fernando Muslera, Guillermo Varela, Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez, Martin Caceres, Nahitan Nandez, Rodrigo Bentancur, Matias Vecino, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani. 13:50 Both sides step onto the pitch. Mo Salah is getting all the attention! 13:45 Only 15 minutes remaining before kick-off, Egyptians can't wait to get started! 13:30 Trezeguet is likely to be the man tasked with running behind the defence to run onto any through passes from playmaker Abdallah El-Said. The Turkish-based winger was one of Egypt's key players in the World Cup qualifying run. 13:15 Egypt are likely to be cautious from the outset, but the question is whether they can stop the threat of Suarez and Cavani, given the defence's problems in dealing with crosses. 13:00 Uruguay start with a full-strength side, spearheaded by deadly attacking duo Suarez and Cavani. 12:45 Ramadan Sobhi also starts on the bench, with Mahmoud Trezeguet taking his place on the left. Greek-based winger Amr Warda replaces Salah on the right. 12:30 Mohamed El-Shennawi gets the nod ahead of 45-year-old keeper Essam El-Hadary, while star forward Mo Salah starts on the bench after recovering from a shoulder injury. 12:00 A draw for Egypt against Uruguay would be deemed an excellent result, but a win would be historic. 11:30 Salah's presence would be crucial to an Egypt side that is so dependent on the maverick forward to finish off their breakaways and make a fine start to their World Cup campaign before meeting hosts Russia and Arab Gulf side Saudi Arabia. 11:00 Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, gave Egypt a timely boost by fully recovering from a shoulder injury in time to make the team's squad for the anticipated Group A opener against Uruguay on Friday. 10:30 Egypt are desperate to find the net on their first World Cup appearance since 1990 to silence a former player who continues to brag about the only goal the team scored 28 years ago. On a more serious note, an entire nation is dreaming big in the Russia finals.
Venue: Ekaterinburg Arena (Ekaterinburg) Referee: B. Kuipers (Netherlands) Assistants: S. van Roekel, E. Zeinstra Fourth official: M. Mazic (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
