Bank: It's now that their World Cup really begins

Samara. How many Uruguayans do you have to stop Antoine Griezmann in the quarter-finals?

I do not know.

Three and a half million were not enough

Hard not to love Uruguay.

The last time they showed the world What a fantastic little football nation, 2010, the great hero of the team, Diego Forlán. A few months after the world championships, I had the opportunity to discuss with him how even a small country can produce such great football players

– The union started doing the good things, he said. Previously, it was a bad organization, but the team had the chance to build a bottom-up team, from U17 to U21 and U23. We have always had good players, but since he took power, we have gotten the organization.

"He" is called Oscar Tabarez, he is still on the bench with his crutch and rheumatic disease. He is the father of all this.

When he took over national football, he did it with the ambition to turn the football of the Uruguayan national team by the Catalan model. 4-3-3, passport, domination. After a year, the experience is crushed. They return to the essentials, Uruguay becomes again Uruguay

Decreases their favorite country

It is still Uruguay, they have just lost a quarter-final .

And whoever decided to love Uruguay.

Antoine Griezmann moved Basque Country as a small knight, the Uruguayan coach of Real Sociedad Martin Lasarte became his additional card, when he entered the team, the Uruguayan striker Carlos Bene became his companion. While settling in Atlético Madrid, he was adopted by Diego Godín and José Gimenez. He drinks mate tea, he plays Uruguayan music, he says himself that he feels half Uruguayan and that he really wants to go to Uruguay and learn more.

He can not go at the moment.

The matches between Uruguay and France is still always very tight: in the last five previous meetings, four have ended 0-0, and many players of this team have met at the final of the U20 World Cup this year. 0-0 (France won on penalties, the captain of the Pogba team put the first.)

When Griezmann rolled this quarter-finals, the match took place in 30 seconds . France rolled a ball around the penalty area, with a fluid Griezmann, a sprinting Mbappé and a too deep Pogba

Cavani was missed a lot

The teams win matches, the troops win the championship – and noticed how much Edinson Cavani was missing.

Tabárez began with Cristhian Stuani instead, Girona instead of PSG

What would they be afraid of then? One and another solid situation? Luis Suárez lights up?

That was not enough

France could climb, play with great pressure with each ball loss, squeeze, squeeze and wait for this blue sky wall to race

The half-man s'. called Grizou

Just before the break, Antoine Griezmann shot on a free kick, Raphaël Varane nodded in front of Stuani paralyzed. A quarter of the second half, Griezmann himself sent a shot distance while the goalkeeper Muslera Pat Bonner scored in his own goal.

Grizou did not even celebrate the purpose.

The small chance that Uruguay had to take in the match before the break, Hugo Lloris forced the World Cup's best goalkeeper intervention up here. He first saved a kick from Cáceres on a free kick, as it was blinking quickly, made big and pushed Diego Godín to send the return.

2-0, class difference, but also a match that said a lot about what was needed

Details determined

The eight best national teams of the world meet now, millions of billions are running in the Plane, players can juggle with hundreds of skaters and climb one the eggs. But the crucial sequences, those who sent France to Uruguay at the airport?

Frisparks and a goalkeeper.

Even when the class difference is large, the margins are larger than that.

Griezmann sent the next free kick Supporters of the blue sky wove their scarves and sang for a team that is very easy to love.

Now they return to Uruguay, while France goes to the medals

They have been here with a perfectly controlled football championship. It's now their world championship really begins.

6 July 2018 18:00