By Shae Beaudoin // @ShaeEliz
Who’s been tuning in to these INSANE World Cup games? I couldn’t have asked for a better start to this year’s festivities. The party got started on Thursday when Russia went against all odds and defeated Saudi Arabia 5-0. Kicking things off on Friday, Egypt faced Uruguay.
This year is the nation’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years, so the stakes were high. Egypt has also never won a World Cup match. They’re hoping to change that this year. On their roster but missing from this first game against Uruguay is Mohamed Salah. There was much contemplation about leaving him off the roster for this first match, and in hindsight, even Egypt’s coach said it was probably a poor move.
The first @Pharaohs team to play at the #WorldCup since 1990 🙌#EGY pic.twitter.com/wA3SvpZVtX
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) June 15, 2018
Compared to everything else we’ve seen so far this Cup, this match was particularly slow to start. The game remained 0-0 and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought it would end in a draw. In the 90th minute, Uruguay was awarded a free kick just outside of the box, which was headed in by Jose Gimenez.
This last-minute goal was absolutely devastating for the Egyptians, who certainly played a good match. They are certainly feeling a little bit of pressure after this loss, especially after the Russia and Saudi Arabia match.
Group A as it stands after the first matches:
Russia – 3 points, +5 goal differential
Uruguay – 3 points, +1 goal differential
Egypt – 0 points, -1 goal differential
Saudi Arabia – 0 points, -5 goal differential
Next week, Egypt plays Russia on June 19th. Let’s hope for a different outcome than the one given to Saudi Arabia. Of course, anything can happen to change the rankings, with each team having two more games before anyone gets sent home, but in Egypt’s case, a win is absolutely necessary.
Featured image: @mlsfemale
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