Uruguay vs France: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel

Sean Wilson

Uruguay vs France: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel image

Les Bleus now await the winner of the contest between Brazil and Belgium to determine their last-four opponent. Uruguay will now travel home after being made to rue the absence of Edinson Cavani, which made them fairly toothless in the final third. It may have been the last World Cup for players such as Luis Suarez, Godin and Cavani.

France become the first team to advance to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Goals from Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann send Les Bleus into the last four, securing a comfortable win over Uruguay at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The game was a tense affair before Varane headed his side in front. Martin Caceres came close to an equaliser, but was denied by a fine save from Hugo Lloris, while Diego Godin missed on the rebound. The second half was where Didier Deschamps' men took control, restricting Uruguay in the final third. Griezmann notched their second courtesy of a horrendous mistake from Fernando Muslera, palming the ball into his own net. From then on, France managed the game to perfection to see out the victory.

France celebrate 2018

FULL-TIME: URUGUAY 0-2 FRANCE


90+5 mins: Lloris claims a cross into the box from Urretaviscaya with ease at his near post. That should be it when he kicks the ball back out.

90+4 mins: Caceres wins a knockdown from Urretaviscaya's cross, but his header is cleared away by Umtiti ahead of Suarez.

90+3 mins: SUB! Fekir replaces Griezmann for the closing stages of the contest.

90+1 mins: Gimenez attempts to launch two long throws into the box, but the France backline remains solid once again.

90 mins: There will be five minutes of added time.

SUB! Urretaviscaya wastes an opportunity to float a free-kick into the box as his delivery fails to beat the first man Hernandez, who heads clear with ease.

89 mins: OVER! Griezmann goes for the drive and arcs his effort over the wall, but his effort sails over the bar.

Gimenez trips Pogba on the charge and France are allowed a further opportunity to take time off the clock.

88 mins: SUB! Mbappe makes way in the closing stages to save him for the semi-final as Dembele comes on to the pitch.

87 mins: Rodriguez chases a lost cause down the left flank and he fouls Varane in his desperate attempt to win possession.

85 mins: France are taking the pace out of the game to see out the contest. It has been a brilliant performance from Les Bleus in the second half against a tough opponent.

83 mins: Urretaviscaya tries to break past the challenge of Hernandez down the right flank, but the France full-back sees off the threat with ease.

82 mins: Uruguay have not been assertive enough in the final third in the second half. They're slowing heading out of the tournament unless they can conjure something special in the closing minutes.

80 mins: France are looking to close out the game as N'Zonzi replaces Tolisso.

78 mins: Caceres whips a cross into the box that takes a deflection. There are three Uruguay players jumping with Varane, but it's the France defender that wins the free-kick for a foul by Gomez.

76 mins: It's getting all a bit desperate for Uruguay in their bid to keep their World Cup dream alive. They're committing almost everyone forward bar Godin and Gimenez.

75 mins: Mbappe tries to weave his way into the box through a crowd of light blue shirts, but Godin makes the last-ditch challenge to stop his run.

73 mins: OVER! France open up Uruguay with ease at the back and Tolisso finds acres of room on the edge of the box to fire at goal. However, he places his effort inches over the bar.

SUB! Nandez has not been able to make an impact in the game and is replaced by Urretaviscaya.

71 mins: France have to be careful not to be drawn into Uruguay's extracurriculars on the pitch. The South American side have nothing to lose at this stage whereas Les Bleus will not want to be playing without Mbappe in the semi-finals.

69 mins: YELLOW! Rodriguez goes into the book for an incident with Mbappe. He may have caught the forward with his elbow.

YELLOW! Mbappe goes into the book for his part in the incident, although he seems flabbergasted by the decision.

67 mins: Mbappe goes down under pressure from Rodriguez and hits the deck. Uruguay are not happy with the teenage forward. This game is boiling over here as both sets of players are embroiled in a tense argument.

65 mins: Uruguay have to commit men forward now and it may leave them exposed on the break. There will be an opening for France to kill off the contest.

63 mins: WIDE! Rodriguez latches on to a loose ball on the edge of the box and fires at goal. He sees his first effort hit a wall of white shirts before driving again, sending his second attempt inches wide of the post.

Fernando Muslera Uruguay France World Cup 060718

61 mins: GOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!! A DISASTER FOR MUSLERA!!!! GRIEZMANN SCORES 2-0!!! France could be on their way to their last four as Griezmann doubles their lead. The forward is afforded space and time on the edge of the box and he fires at goal. It's straight at Muslera, but he has a nightmare, palming the ball straight into his own net. A shocker from the Uruguay keeper.

Tolisso slides a pass into the feet of Griezmann, who finds the net with the aid of a shocking piece of keeping from Muslera.

59 mins: OVER! Tabarez's men keep men forward and Caceres has space for a strike on the edge of the box. He didn't manage to plant his feet and as a result he scuffs his effort over the bar.

SUB! Stuani has been disappointing and makes way for Maxi Gomez.

SUB! Bentancur has been underwhelming in the middle of the park. Tabarez opts to replace him with Rodriguez.

58 mins: Uruguay apply pressure down the right and Caceres fires a low ball into the box. Stuani attempts to latch on to the ball at the back post, but Pavard is there to clear ahead of the forward.

56 mins: WIDE! Umtiti loses his footing in the box under pressure from three Uruguay attackers. Bentancur takes possession on the edge of the box and goes for a drive at goal, but he slices his effort wide of the post.

55 mins: Stuani has been lacklustre in the final third and his struggles continue as he fails to pick out Suarez with a cutback into the box.

54 mins: STAT! Uruguay have failed to win any of their previous 16 World Cup games in which they’ve conceded the first goal (drawn three, lost 13), last coming back to beat today’s opponents France in 1966 (2-1).

53 mins: France have come out for the second half with vigour in an attempt to kill off the contest.

Pavard latches on to a loose ball on the edge of the box and goes for the spectacular once again. He connects with a volley, only to send his effort well over the bar. Not quite his strike against Argentina.

52 mins: Giroud wins a header in the final third and the ball almost falls for the run of Mbappe, but Gimenez is there to clear ahead of the forward.

50 mins: Mbappe wins a free-kick that he takes himself from the right flank. He swings the ball into a dangerous position towards the run of Pogba. Muslera commits himself and is brave in the challenge, punching away from danger.

48 mins: Muslera takes a chance at the back as he tries to beat Griezmann with a piece of skill. The forward makes the challenge, only to see the ball travel behind for a goal-kick.

47 mins: Griezmann makes a promising break through the middle, although he fails to release Mbappe down the right flank before losing possession.

STAT: Before today France have never lost a World Cup game when winning at half-time (won 20, drawn one.)

46 mins: We're back underway in this quarter-final clash.


It has been a tense affair from the off, with a piece a quality unlocking Uruguay's stoic backline as Griezmann and Varane combined. The goal forced Oscar Tabarez's men out out of their defensive shape and they threatened towards the break. They will need to up the ante in the second half to get back into the contest.

France hold a 1-0 lead at the break over Uruguay thanks to Raphael Varane's headed effort. It was a half of few chances, but they came within minutes of each other. Antoine Griezmann floated a precise free-kick into the box for Varane to guide an effort into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Fernando Muslera. Uruguay came close to hitting back when Martin Caceres headed towards the net from Lucas Torreira's cross, only to be denied by a brilliant save by Hugo Lloris before Diego Godin fired over on the rebound.

Raphael Varane Uruguay France World Cup 06072018

HALF-TIME: URUGUAY 0-1 FRANCE


45+1 mins: Suarez wins a free-kick for his team, but on this occasion Torreira's delivery into the box is cleared by Les Bleus.

45 mins: There will be two minutes of added time.

44 mins: SAVE & MISS! Torreira floats the ball into the box and Caceres rises to guide a headed effort towards the bottom corner. The header seems destined for the net, but Lloris flings himself to his right to make an incredible one-handed stop. Godin pounces on the rebound, although the keeper manages to get up and make himself big. It forces the mistake from the defender as he blasts his effort wide of the target.

43 mins: Caceres wins a free-kick after being brought down by Kante. Torreira will float the ball into the box.

42 mins: Uruguay win a corner down the right flank that is cleared to the edge of the box. Nandez meets the ball on the half-volley and goes for goal, but Lloris sees the strike all the way to make the stop.

Antoine Griezmann Raphael Varane Kylian Mbappe France 2018 World Cup

40 mins: GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! VARANE HEADS FRANCE IN FRONT!!!! 1-0!!! Les Bleus take the lead as Varane glances his header into the net. Griezmann floated a precise free-kick towards the middle, taking a slight stutter before his delivery to confuse the Uruguay backline. His hesitation and the accuracy of the delivery allowed Varane to get ahead of Stuani. The defender placed his effort into the corner away from Muslera to put France ahead.

Griezmann stutters to disrupt the Uruguay defence before supplying a pinpoint cross for Varane to head home.

38 mins: Stuani wastes a promising counter as he sends his offload out wide to an unmarked Caceres out for a throw-in.

YELLOW! Bentancur slides in late on Tolisso, handing France an opportunity from a free-kick 30 yards from goal. He goes into the book and will miss the semi-final should Uruguay advance.

37 mins: Griezmann looks for a backheeled offload to Giroud in the box, but once again the Uruguay backline are there to make the interception to clear, this time through Godin.

35 mins: Suarez sends a cross into the box from the right, although Varane beats the forward in the air. Vecino gathers the loose ball and tries an effort on the half-volley, only to see his strike comfortably saved.

34 mins: Pogba releases the run of Mbappe down the right inside channel and he fires a low ball across the face of goal. Giroud and Griezmann cannot keep up with the play and the opening is wasted.

33 mins: Hernandez loses out to Nandez and then pulls back the midfielder. The referee puts him into the book.

32 mins: France have not been able to settle into an attacking rhythm. Uruguay have been physical in the challenge and have not allowed Les Bleus to dictate the tempo of the contest.

30 mins: Pavard sends another low ball into the box and Mbappe flicks it on towards the penalty spot. However, Giroud and Griezmann are on their heels and the light blue shirts are able to clear their lines.

29 mins: Giroud makes a run to the near post to attempt to latch on to Pavard's cross from the flank, but his movement is checked by Godin.

27 mins: Uruguay are solid as a rock at the back from France's delivery from the set-piece. Kante goes for the follow-up cross, but Muslera is able to gather.

26 mins: Mbappe attempts to get the better of Laxalt down the flank, but the full-back fends off his surge and concedes only a corner.

24 mins: Suarez collides with Pavard on the left flank, giving the full-back a little into the abdomen. Uruguay play the game in a physical manner.

22 mins: Pavard goes on the charge down the right flank and he wins a corner off the legs of Vecino.

Griezmann floats the ball towards the near post for the run of Umtiti, but Godin rises to head clear of danger. Kante hammers the ball back in towards Pogba at the back post. Caceres is there for Uruguay to guide it away.

21 mins: Pogba and Mbappe combine in the final third to attempt to release Griezmann in the box, but the forward's flick is intercepted by Gimenez.

19 mins: OVER! Pogba takes on a shot to nothing from distance with little support around him in the final third. However, the Manchester United man fires his effort well over the bar.

18 mins: Gimenez makes a rare mistake misplacing his pass into touch inside the Uruguay half. France have the opportunity to apply pressure in a good starting position.

17 mins: Stuani battles against Umtiti in the inside-right channel trying to force a low ball into the box. However, the defender makes the block before Les Bleus clear their lines.

15 mins: CHANCE! Mbappe spurns an opening in front of goal. Pavard's cross into the box is headed into the path of the forward in the box by Giroud. Mbappe has space and time, but he opts for the first time header and mistimes his jump, planting his effort over the bar.

14 mins: Godin wins a header from a lofted ball into the France box, guiding it downwards towards Stuani. Lloris commits himself and make contact by diving forward to punch clear ahead of the forward. Brave keeping from Lloris.

13 mins: Kante goes for a strike on the edge of the box from France's build-up, only to smash his effort into a wall of light blue shirts.

Suarez backs into Umtiti to win a free-kick for his team. Solid forward line work from the Barcelona forward against his club team-mate.

12 mins: Mbappe tries to break free down the right flank away from Laxalt. He gets the free-kick then pulls up. The forward appears to be ok, although it's something to monitor.

11 mins: Griezmann floats the ball into the box from the left flank and Varane rises highest to head at goal, only to guide his effort comfortably wide of the target.

10 mins: Stuani flies in late on Hernandez and sends the full-back tumbling to the deck. Not for the first time at the World Cup there's a bit of theatrics from the France left-back as he rolls on the ground.

8 mins: Pogba loses out to Stuani on the flank and it eases the pressure on the Uruguay backline as the forward wins a free-kick.

7 mins: France apply pressure down the right flank, but Mbappe's delivery towards Tolisso's run at the back post is cut out by Caceres.

5 mins: Suarez releases the run of Stuani into the right inside channel. He goes for the drive across goal from a tight angle, sending his strike out for a throw-in. Not the best effort from the forward.

4 mins: Bentacur makes a surge down the left inside channel and tries to slide a pass into the feet of Stuani in the box. However, the forward cannot make contact in the middle. Nandez tries to hook the ball back in, only for Les Bleus to clear their lines.

3 mins: Giroud goes down off the ball in a collision with Gimenez. The defender caught the back of his ankle, although the referee appears to have decided that it was a coming together rather than a malicious incident.

2 mins: Giroud attempts to slide a pass into the feet of Tolisso through the middle, but the offload is intercepted by Godin.

1 min: We're underway at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium!


HERE WE GO...

The players are out on the pitch. It's time for the anthems.

STAT: Uruguay have won their last four World Cup matches, last winning five in a row between 1950 and 1954. They’ve never previously won five in a row in the same World Cup tournament.

STAT: France are unbeaten in their last nine World Cup matches against South American sides (W5 D4), keeping a clean sheet in seven of those games.

France have made one change to their side from their win over Argentina. Matuidi picked up his second booking of the tournament in the round-of-16 and misses the contest as a result. Tolisso comes into the midfield on the left flank to replace the Juventus man.

Stuani replaces Cavani leading the line for Uruguay, other than that Tabarez names the same side that defeated Portugal in the last round. The defensive bedrock of Godin and Gimenez will look to thwart Mbappe and company in the final third.

Uruguay have been handed a hammer blow as Cavani has been deemed unfit to play this afternoon. The forward was forced off with an injury to left calf after scoring the second of his strikes against Portugal. He did not train during the week and has not been named in the squad for the contest today.

France subs: Presnel Kimpembe, Thomas Lemar, Ousmane Dembele, Steven N'Zonzi, Steve Mandanda, Adil Rami, Nabil Fekir, Djibril Sidibe, Florian Thauvin, Benjamin Mendy, Florian Thauvin.

FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Corentin Tolisso; Olivier Giroud.

Uruguay subs: Guillermo Varela, Carlos Sanchez, Cristian Rodriguez, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Martin Campana, Gaston Silva, Maxi Pereira, Maxi Gomez, Sebastian Coates, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Martin Silva.

URUGUAY XI (4-3-1-2): Fernando Muslera; Martin Caceres, Jose Gimenez, Diego Godin, Diego Laxalt; Nahitan Nandez, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino; Rodrigo Bentacur; Luis Suarez, Cristhian Stuani.

The team news has been announced and we'll start with Uruguay.

STAT: In World Cup matches, Uruguay are unbeaten against France (W1 D2), beating them 2-1 in 1966 and drawing 0-0 in both 2002 and 2010.

Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show as France edged past Argentina in their clash last time out. Mbappe won a first-half penalty that was converted by Antoine Griezmann before Angel di Maria scored a stunner to equalise before the break. Gabriel Mercado put Argentina ahead with a deflected finish before Les Bleus responded with a brilliant strike of their own from Benjamin Pavard. Mbappe then took centre stage with two goals to kill off the contest, despite a late effort from Sergio Aguero.

A brace from Edinson Cavani guided Uruguay into the last eight of the competition as he saw his side past Portugal in the round-of-16. The PSG forward put Oscar Tabarez's men in front in the seventh minute before Pepe scored an equaliser in the second half. However, Cavani scored a fine goal to restore Uruguay's lead, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals.

We're reaching the final stretch of the World Cup now as just two sets of games remain before the final. Both teams have recent history in the latter stages of the competition and will be desperate to get over the line at this attempt.

30 mins until KO: Hello and welcome to this live text commentary of the World Cup quarter-final between Uruguay and France in Russia.


Squads & Team News

Uruguay suffer a huge blow as they are without the in-form Edinson Cavani, who was their hero against Portugal, after the Paris Saint-Germain striker sustained a hamstring strain. Cristhian Stuani takes his place in the starting line-up. However, Luis Suarez, who also suffered a knock in that game, is fit to start. 

For France, Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi is suspended, meaning Corentin Tolisso starts in midfield and the team likely changes shape to a 4-3-3, with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe either side of Olivier Giroud in attack. 

Luis Suarez also picked up a knock in the game against Argentina, but the Barcelona man is expected to be available.

Confirmed Uruguay XI: Muslera; Laxalt, Godin, Gimenez, Caceres; Bentancur, Torreira, Vecino, Nandez; Stuani, Suarez

Uruguay subs: Gomez, Urretaviscaya, G. Silva, Varela, Campana, M. Silva, Rodriguez, Coates, Pereira, Sanchez, De Arrascaeta

Confirmed France XI: Lloris; Hernandez, Umtiti, Varane, Pavard; Kante, Pogba, Tolisso; Griezmann, Giroud, Mbappe

France subs: Sidibe, Dembele, Areola, Lemar, Fekir, Mandanda, Kimpembe, Thauvin, Rami, N'Zonzi, Mendy


TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch


In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel Online stream
FS1 / Telemundo fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on ITV or streamed live online using the ITV Player.

UK TV channel Online stream
ITV ITV Player
A brace from Edinson Cavani guided Uruguay into the last eight of the competition as he saw his side past Portugal in the round-of-16. The PSG forward put Oscar Tabarez's men in front in the seventh minute before Pepe scored an equaliser in the second half. However, Cavani scored a fine goal to restore Uruguay's lead, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals.
The team news has been announced and we'll start with Uruguay.
FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Corentin Tolisso; Olivier Giroud.
Stuani replaces Cavani leading the line for Uruguay, other than that Tabarez names the same side that defeated Portugal in the last round. The defensive bedrock of Godin and Gimenez will look to thwart Mbappe and company in the final third.
There will be two minutes of added time.
France hold a 1-0 lead at the break over Uruguay thanks to Raphael Varane's headed effort. It was a half of few chances, but they came within minutes of each other. Antoine Griezmann floated a precise free-kick into the box for Varane to guide an effort into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Fernando Muslera. Uruguay came close to hitting back when Martin Caceres headed towards the net from Lucas Torreira's cross, only to be denied by a brilliant save by Hugo Lloris before Diego Godin fired over on the rebound.
Before today France have never lost a World Cup game when winning at half-time (won 20, drawn one.)
France have come out for the second half with vigour in an attempt to kill off the contest.
WIDE! Rodriguez latches on to a loose ball on the edge of the box and fires at goal. He sees his first effort hit a wall of white shirts before driving again, sending his second attempt inches wide of the post.
Gimenez trips Pogba on the charge and France are allowed a further opportunity to take time off the clock.
Urretaviscaya wastes an opportunity to float a free-kick into the box as his delivery fails to beat the first man Hernandez, who heads clear with ease.

Sean Wilson