Uruguay make case for defence despite attacking riches

Luis Suarez bade a frustrating farewell to international football on Friday as Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw by Paraguay in South American 2026 World Cup qualifying.

Suarez, 37, announced on Monday he was stepping down from international duty after a glittering 17-year career for Uruguay that saw him finish as the country's top scorer with 69 goals from 143 appearances.

But the former Barcelona and Liverpool star, who now plays in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, was unable to add a 70th goal to his international tally in Friday's farewell game at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

Despite enjoying 65% possession, Uruguay were unable to find a way through a dogged Paraguay defence in a disjointed match littered with some 24 fouls.

Suarez, whose career at international and club level was dogged by controversies such as his ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, was one of four Uruguay players to be shown a yellow card in a fractious encounter.

The result leaves Uruguay in second place in South America's 10-team round-robin qualifying tournament with 14 points from seven games, four points behind leaders Argentina.

Colombia can leapfrog over Uruguay with a victory over Peru in Lima later Friday.

The top six teams in the South America standings qualify automatically for the 2026 finals in North America with the seventh-placed team advancing to a playoff.

France have shut out all the euphoria back home over their run to the World Cup final in order to play a perfect match against Croatia on Sunday, France captain Hugo Lloris said.

The goalkeeper said the team were not being swept up by the wave of celebrations back home and were keeping their focus firmly on their shot of earning a second World Cup title after 1998 when they take on the Croatians in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

"To be honest we are in our little bubble and we don't know what is happening in France," Lloris told reporters on Saturday.

"We are far from thinking that we have reached our goal. We will face a high-quality opponent and they deserve as much credit as we do.

"They have displayed their physical and mental strengths and tomorrow we will need a great French team to win."

France have never needed to go beyond 90 minutes in their run to the final after beating Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the last eight and Belgium in the semi-finals.

But Croatia had to battle from a goal down in all three of their knockout matches to beat Denmark, Russia and England.

They played extra time in all of them and needed penalties against the Danes and hosts Russia.

"Croatia have shown their mental strength which is quite incredible. They have managed to qualify after extra time three times in a row. There is something special in this team," Lloris warned.

"They also have an incredible collective strength. We have a lot of respect for them. We need to perform at a high level and deliver a perfect match to win," said the keeper.

France are in their third World Cup final after winning in 1998 and losing to Italy in 2006. They also reached the Euro final on home soil two years ago only to lose to Portugal.

Lloris said that defeat was not on their minds any longer, with many current players not part of the 2016 team.

"I think that our team is quite calm. I do not really know if we realise how far we have come but it is better that way," Lloris said. "We have this inner strength from the beginning of the tournament with which we can overcome any challenge."

"Tomorrow will be the most important match of our career. It will be a special match because it is a World Cup final and we have to stay in our bubble to focus on the ultimate goal."

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday to congratulate the winning team, President Vladimir Putin, and Russia after the World Cup final, which he called "one of the best ever!"

"Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament one of the best ever!," he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the national team of France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final match in Moscow to snatch its second World Cup Trophy.

Marcelo Bielsa has been named the new coach of Uruguay, the country's FA (AUF) announced on Monday, with the former Leeds United manager signing a contract until 2026, according to media reports.

The Argentine takes over following the exit of Diego Alonso after Uruguay failed to reach the World Cup knockout stages.

"The fans are calling for games and emotions. The time has come," read a message on the team's official Twitter account, which also confirmed Bielsa's appointment.

Bielsa, who is expected to be presented at a press conference on Wednesday, returns to coaching following his departure from Leeds in February 2022.

Bielsa led Leeds into the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

The 67-year-old, who also had spells with Olympique de Marseille and Athletic Bilbao, has previously coached Argentina and Chile at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups respectively.

Bielsa's tenure will begin with two home friendlies against Nicaragua and Cuba next month.
 

Luciano Rodriguez scored in the 86th minute as Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup final in La Plata, Argentina on Sunday.

The Celeste's maiden Under-20 World Cup crown ended a streak of four consecutive titles for European teams.

Uruguay lost the final of the tournament in 1997 and 2013. Brazil was the last winner from South America in 2011.

More than 40,000 people, mostly cheering for Uruguay, attended the match at the Diego Maradona Stadium. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also present.

"This is crazy, crazy, crazy and we deserve it," a tearful Rodríguez said after the match. "We are living a dream."

Italy's Cesare Casadei, the top tournament's top scorer with seven goals, had a disappointing performance in the final.

Italy coach Carmine Nunziata recognised Uruguay played better, but said the pitch condition affected his players.

"The pitch has penalised any player who has more skills," Nunziata said. "We had an incredible run. This match doesn't cancel what we have done, playing all these matches is not easy. They were better than us today."

Neither Uruguay nor Italy were among the favorites when the U20 World Cup kicked off on May 20, but unlike Brazil, Argentina and England they faced less resistance from clubs about releasing players for the tournament.

The title for the Celeste came in the wake of Argentina's World Cup title in December, which also ended a sequence of wins of European teams.

Earlier, debutant Israel beat South Korea 3-1 to secure third place in the same stadium in La Plata.