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NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia (AP) – Antoine Griezmann's goal helped France qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Griezmann scored with a shot that rebounded into the hands of the opposing goalkeeper and into the goal, giving France a 2-0 win against Uruguay on Friday.
The 1998 champions will face Brazil or Belgium on Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Griezmann's shot in the 61st minute came into the hands of Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. But the ball jumped from his palms and curled over his head and into the net.
Raphael Varane gave France the advantage of a head in the 40th minute. Griezmann sent a free kick on the right side and Varane ran through the area. He took his head to the ball and sent it to the farthest corner behind Muslera.
France continued to reach the World Cup final the last two times that she advanced to the semifinals. They won their only World Cup in 1998 at home and in 2006 they lost to Italy on penalties.
The match at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium pitted France against Uruguay's fierce defense and occasional offensive threats. But with Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani injured and on the bench and Luis Suarez neutralized, it's France that scored goals.
Suarez, who scored two goals in the group stage, did not hit the ball in the French penalty area for the entire match. Cavani scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Portugal in the round of 16, but he sat on the bench with a wounded left calf that he picked up in that match.
Four minutes after Varane gave France the lead, Uruguay nearly equalized. French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris dipped to his right and put his hand on a Martin Caceres header, pushing back just past the goal.
Although he did not score, the 19 – year – old French striker, Kylian Mbappe, again appeared unsafe at the attack, trying to settle in. right wing or perform quick pbades in the Uruguayan defense.
Mbappe, who modeled his game after Cristiano Ronaldo and who is compared to Zinedine Zidane, also clinched a yellow card in the second period to have collapsed as if he had agonized after contact with a opponent.
Mbappe scored twice against Argentina to become the first teenager with multiple goals in a World Cup knockout match since a 17-year-old Pele in 1958.
Uruguay, coached by Oscar Tabarez, 71-year-old coach, was trying to reach the semi-finals for the second time in the last three World Cups. In the lead up to the match, Uruguay had been undefeated in 2018 and had only allowed one goal in its first four matches of the World Cup in Russia.
Country of only 3.5 million inhabitants, Uruguay won the World Cup titles in 1930 and 1950, then declined. But he has experienced a revival over the past 12 years under Tabarez, a former elementary school teacher.
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