It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Uruguay took its place atop Group A with Russia after a 1-0 win over Egypt, which kept Mohamed Salah on the bench with the shoulder injury he suffered in Liverpool’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
Egypt Coach Hector Cuper’s dual gambit — not playing Salah and going with Mohamed Elshenawy in goal — was so close to paying off, as the Pharaohs parried off every Uruguay chance and lucked out as Luis Suarez missed two surefire chances, one early and one late. But with a 0-0 draw and the one point it would provide tantalizingly within reach, Jose Gimenez rose above it all on a free kick to head Uruguay to victory.
Egypt still has two more winnable games against Russia and Saudi Arabia, the latter looking dreadful in Thursday’s opener. With Salah back, second place could still be theirs. Washington Post
