France outclassed Uruguay 2-0 to enter the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in on Friday. Raphael Varane and Antoinne Griezmann scored the two goals as France reached their sixth semi-final at the World Cup.
A Fernando Muslera howler in the 61st minute handed France a 2-0 lead in the second half of the quarter-final clash. Griezmann hit a powerful shot headed straight to Muslera but he failed to collect it cleanly and the ball ended up at the back of the net.
Raphael Varane had earlier scored with a clinical header in the 40th minute to give France a 1-0 lead over Uruguay at the end of the first half. The first half didn’t see any clear-cut chances for either team. Nahitan Nandez had a chance for Uruguay from close range.
Uruguay was the better team in the first quarter but they hardly troubled French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Kylian Mbappe had a few good chances for France in the first half but he couldn’t convert them.
He had a glorious chance in the 20th minute when his header from six-yards out went way over the goal post. After initial pressure from Uruguay, France got hold of the proceedings and started to dictate the play.
Mbappe exposed the Uruguay defence again in the 34th minute after outrunning Diego Laxalt in the right wing but his ball went past everyone. Lucas Torreira was alive to the danger then and cleared it. The goal that came off Antoine Griezmann’s cross that found Varane in the box. Varane glanced his header out of Fernando Muslera’s reach and gave France the lead.
Martin Caceres had a chance to equalise after Varane’s goal but the French goal keeper stretched to his extreme right to thwart the ball out for a Uruguay corner.(NDTV Sport)
