Uruguay and Mali settle for a draw in final group match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup
Knowing a draw would be good enough to see them both advance, Uruguay and Mali cautiously fought back and forth on their way to a 1-1 draw.
Uruguay has survived an onslaught from a spirited Mali side and progress to the knockout stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 1-1 draw.
A draw was all either team needed to advance to the next stage of the competition, and that result looked likely from the outset.
The tone for the match was set early on. Both teams had plenty of ball, and tried to test the defence, but no real chances were created.
It was hard to say who was controlling the play in the early stages, until Uruguay’s Franco Acosta tapped in a sitter from close range. Appeals for offside were made, but some lazy defending allowed him to give his team the lead.
From the 25 minute mark, Mali began to find their rhythm, with their midfield impressing the crowd with their control and footwork.
Time and time again Mali would send the ball up to their forwards, only to be thwarted by the desperate Uruguayan defence.
Having thrown everything they had at Uruguay, the first half was nearing a close and it looked as though Mali would go into the break down a goal.
But when Uruguayan goalkeeper Gaston Guruceaga took a gamble to pick up a pass-back that he believed had been deflected by a Mali player, Mali were awarded an indirect free kick.
This was the chance Mali had been hoping for, and Adama Traore made the most of it – firing the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
The second half was much of the same – Mali came out all guns blazing, but Uruguay began to fight back after the 55 minute mark.
Momentum swung between the sides like a pendulum as Uruguayan defenders threw themselves all over the park to prevent Mali from getting a shot on target.
With neither defence cracking, emotions started to boil over and a clumsy tackle in the 76th minute by Uruguay’s Nahitan Nandez saw the only booking of the match.
The teams fought back and forth cautiously in the final stages of the game until the final whistle blew, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
“This was a very tough group,” Uruguay coach Fabian Coito said.
“Mali’s a really good team.”
The teams finished the group stages equal on points, which meant the order was decided by a coin toss done in Auckland. Uruguay won the toss, so finish second in the group and advance immediately.
Mali finish the group third, but will advance to the knockout stages of the competition as one of the best third placed teams.
