Uruguay 0-0 South Korea: Both sides fail to produce a shot on target with Federico Valverde and Diego Godin each striking the woodwork in yet another World Cup stalemate
- South Korea held Uruguay to a drab 0-0 stalemate at the Education City Stadium
- The sides struggled to take their chances during the Group G clash on Thursday
- Both Federico Valverde and captain Diego Godin hit the crossbar for Uruguay
- And Hwang Ui-jo squandered a glorious chance to take the lead for South Korea
- Follow all the latest World Cup news, updates, views and build-up to games here
- Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results
When football historians review this World Cup, it may well be remembered as the tournament that presided the last rites over a generation of great players.
Leo Messi’s fate remains unclear and here Luis Suarez, English anti-hero outside of Liverpool, looked a player on his last legs.
His stats from this game were zero shots, zero chances created, two touches in the opposition box and seven passes. One of those was kick off. He had 18 touches and won a single duel.
![Uruguay endured a frustrating afternoon as South Korea held them to a 0-0 draw in Group G](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/14/64903625-11458033-image-a-47_1669301671670.jpg)
Uruguay endured a frustrating afternoon as South Korea held them to a 0-0 draw in Group G
![Luis Suarez struggled to impress and was hooked off by boss Diego Alonso in the second half](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64906135-11458033-image-a-57_1669303229326.jpg)
Luis Suarez struggled to make a meaningful impact and was hooked off by boss Diego Alonso
He traipsed off on 65 minutes to be replaced by his former strike partner Edinson Cavani. Yet there no World Cup heroics here.
His past iconic interventions include making the ‘save of the tournament’ with last-minute handball on the line to enable Uruguay to reach the semis in 2010, for which he was suspended taking the red card for the greater good of the team; beating England on one leg in 2014 before taking a bite out of Giorgio Chiellini; and reaching the quarter finals in 2018.
Rarely is life dull when Suarez is around. However, it was here in Doha as this is also fast becoming the safety first World Cup: 14 games completed with four games - more 25 per cent - scoreless draws.
In tight groups – and Group H looks the most well matched of all, with Portugal and Ghana – the law of lowest risk seems to be prevail. Don’t lose your opening match is the World Cup mantra ignored by Germany and Argentina but hard wired into the mid-ranking teams.
Uruguay and Korea had a fair smattering of superstars, including Son Heung Min, complete with face mask after surgery for the fracture close to his eye, while Uruguay started with formidable front line of Darwin Nunez, Luis Suarez and Manchester United loanee Facundo Pellistri. Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Spurs’ Rodrigo Bentancur held the midfield.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64903425-11458033-image-a-50_1669302870794.jpg)
Hwang Ui-jo squandered a glorious opportunity for South Korea midway through the first half
![Captain Diego Godin rattled the woodwork late in the first half with his header from a corner](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64903533-11458033-image-a-48_1669302614746.jpg)
Captain Diego Godin rattled the woodwork late in the first half with his header from a corner
Yet despite the all-star cast, the first half was generally low quality characterised by nerves and lack of clinical delivery, be it in the final pass or finishing. However, there was no questioning the excellence of the Jose Gimenez cross field pass for Valverde on 20 minutes, yet the Real Madrid sent his swerving shot just over.
There was another superb Gimenez pass from defence in 23 minutes for Pellistri, who nodded it across goal yet Nunez couldn’t even make a connection, though he received a sly nudge off the ball from Kim Minjae.
Uruguay looked ready to open the scoring on 28 minutes when Mathias Olivera raced clear on the counter. Yet he then over-hit his pass so poorly for Nunez that goalkeeper Kim Seunggyu was able to block the oncoming shot.
![Son Heung-min sported a protective face mask after recovering from his eye socket fracture](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64906009-11458033-image-a-52_1669303004418.jpg)
Son Heung-min sported a protective face mask after recovering from his eye socket fracture
![Veteran Edinson Cavani made an appearance off the bench but also failed to make an impact](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64906315-11458033-image-a-58_1669303592084.jpg)
Veteran Edinson Cavani made an appearance off the bench but also failed to make an impact
There was even worse finishing from Korea on 38 minutes, with Hwang Uijo played in ten yards from goal, yet leaning back and lifting his strike well over the bar.
Just before the break, centre half Diego Godin almost showed them how it is done connected with Valverde’s corner with a towering header, but saw his effort rebound off the post.
Nunez did have a powerful run down the left to beat the full back but then couldn’t find the angle to find Suarez on 50 minutes. Nunez then had a shot just wide form 20 yards on 80 minutes.
Right at the death, we had a moment of genuine world class quality from Valverde. On 90 minutes he sized up a strike from 20 yards and connected beautifully only to see it rattle the goal as it bounced off the post. It was though the post had decided we don’t deserve nice things. Like goals.
![Valverde celebrated a recovery tackle as if he had scored a goal in the final stages of the match](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/24/15/64905927-11458033-image-a-51_1669302895534.jpg)
Valverde celebrated a recovery tackle as if he had scored a goal in the final stages of the match
Relive all the action by reading Sportsmail's live blog for the World Cup Group H clash between Uruguay and South Korea, written by Ben Willcocks.
It ends goalless at the Education City Stadium as Uruguay and South Korea accept a share of the spoils in Group G.
Whilst not a disastrous result for either side, there was little quality in the second-half and there will be plenty for both teams to chew over as they look to qualify for the knockout stages.
Read Sportsmail's full report above for more.
90+6' - Kim Seung-gyu catches from Uruguay's late corner and relieves the danger for South Korea.
That'll probably be that...
90+4' - Hwang In-beom has a tired effort from distance and it goes nowhere near Rochet's goal.
90+1' - Rochet makes a poor error and gifts Son a shot on goal from outside the area, but the Spurs star cannot quite find the corner.
90' - A glorious long shot from Federico Valverde rattles the post and crashes behind for a goal-kick, but Kim Seung-gyu seemed to have the effort covered.
88' - Guillermo Varela replaces Pellistri for Uruguay.
Moments later, Cho Gue-sung picks up a yellow card for a foul on Gimenez.
84' - Nunez springs into life on the right and dazzles Kim Jin-su with a smart touch, but as the avenue opens up for him to play through Bentancur, the Liverpool star hugely overhits the pass and it zooms off for a goal kick.
A sincere lack of quality in the final third from both sides in this match...
82' - Nunez cuts inside from the left flank and looks to bend a shot into the far corner with his right foot, but he doesn't quite manufacture enough curve on the effort from distance.
In fact, Cavani almost manages to turn his shot into the cross, only narrowly missing the ball with his head, but it goes behind for a goal-kick.
79' - Diego Alonso shuffles Uruguay's pack as Olivera and Vecino make way for Matias Vina and Nicolas de la Cruz.
77' - Cho Gue-sung makes a quick impact off the bench and fires a shot from distance towards Rochet's goal, but his effort heads narrowly wide of the target.
74' - South Korea make three changes as Hwang Ui-jo, Lee Jae-sung and Na Sang-ho come on for Cho Gue-sung, Lee Kang-in and Son Jun-ho.
73' - Uruguay have dominated the play for the last five minutes, but South Korea have an answer for everything so far in defence.
Olivera threatens with a deep cross towards Cavani, but Kim Min-jae is there once again with a towering header.
69' - It wasn't a chance by any stretch of the imagination, but Cavani got the Uruguay fans off their seats with a slick move in the penalty box.
Pellistri fired a ball into the striker, who chested it down and looked to shoot on the turn, only to see his effort blocked by the South Korean wall.
68' - Bentancur plays a sloppy pass in midfield and typifies the frustrating performance from Uruguay so far this half.
64' - Uruguay's record goal-scorer makes way for their second highest goal-scorer.
ON - Edinson Cavani
OFF - Luis Suarez
63' - An exceptional long pass from Godin finds Nunez, who powers past Kim Min-jae with ease on the left flank.
The Liverpool forward drives into the box and looks to cut the ball back, but his pass is quelled by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
Kim Min-jae is down having slipped in the build-up. That could be a huge blow for South Korea.
60' - Unfortunately, the match has developed into a bit of a long ball battle. We've had a 0-0 in the last two days of the World Cup, so is Uruguay vs South Korea destined to end in a stalemate?
Let's hope not, still plenty of time to go!
57' - Cacares gets tight to the Spurs star and stands on his boot, prompting Son to hit the deck in plenty of pain.
Son gets treatment from the medical staff as Cacares is booked. Looks like Son's going to be okay...
55' - As South Korea clear from a deep Uruguay free-kick, Bentancur takes a snapshot on the edge of the area, which is well blocked by Kim Min-jae.
52' - Son Heung-min whips in a corner near the South Korean fans and receives a warm reception. His delivery finds Kim Min-jae at the front post who flicks the ball on towards Kim Tae-hwan, but the goalkeeper punches clear.
They want a penalty for a foul on Kim Tae-hwan, but the referee and VAR aren't interested.
50' - Kim Jin-su goes down holding the back of his head after a clash of heads with team-mate Lee Jae-sung, but he is back to his feet fairly quickly.
47' - Uruguay instantly pump a long ball over the top and Pellistri looks to be in behind on the right flank, but Kim Jin-su does well to snuff out the danger and win a free-kick.
46' - We're back underway at the Education City Stadium...
A goalless yet entertaining first half comes to a close, with both sides very much in the game heading into the break.
South Korea's energy has been exceptional from the outset but they've struggled to produce many clear cut chances. Meanwhile, Uruguay have been calm and patient on the ball and nearly went ahead from a set-piece at the death.
That's the shortest injury time we've had so far at the tournament, surely?
43' - So close from the captain!
Valverde's dangerous corner finds the head of Godin, who climbs taller than every orange shirt in the box.
The ball flashes off his forehead and zips towards the goal, but to Kim Seung-gyu's relief it strikes the inside of the post and flies out of danger.
41' - A marauding run from defence by Kim Min-jae puts South Korea on the front foot and he finds Na Sang-ho, who can't quite find an orange shirt in Uruguay's penalty box.
There's no doubt they're threatening, but it seems South Korea need more in the final third to win this match.
40' - Hwang In-beom takes a speculative shot from 40 yards and connects well with the ball, but it sails over the crossbar and behind for a Uruguay goal kick.
38' - That chance for South Korea seems to have woken Uruguay up a bit, and they calm the occasion down with a neat period of possession.
34' - You won't get better chances than that!
A brilliant move from South Korea finds Kim Tae-hwan on the right flank, and the full-back drills a low cross into the area past a sea of Uruguay shirts.
Hwang Ui-jo is unmarked and has the whole goal to aim at on the edge of the six-yard box, but the striker leans back and his effort zooms over the crossbar.
What a chance! Should be 1-0...
32' - Hwang In-beom turns cleverly in the middle and finds Kim Tae-hwan on the left, who loops a speculative cross towards Hwang Ui-jo, who has to watch the ball sail over his head.
An energetic performance from South Korea so far, but they need to find that final ball if they want to hurt Uruguay.
29' - Uruguay have a wonderful opportunity to take the lead as Nunez ends up in acres of space on the left, but Olivera overhits the simple pass as the Liverpool star breaks into the box.
It allows goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu to charge out a get a firm glove on the ball, prompting South Korea to clear the danger.
27' - A long ball towards Son is chased down with ease and the winger cuts in on to his favoured right foot as his team-mates flood the box.
As South Korea's fans bellow with excitement, Son opts to shoot and it is blocked behind.
24' - Diego Alonso's side enjoy their longest sustained period of possession of the match so far and Bentancur, Valverde and Vecino begin to dictate the pace in midfield.
South Korea are pressing high but are well aware of Gimenez's dangerous balls from defence as well. The game's gone according to plan for Uruguay in the last five minutes.
21' - Jung Woo-young is penalised for a firm tackle on Olivera in the centre of the park.
From the subsequent free kick, Gimenez drills another sensational pass across to Pellistri, who cuts the ball across the box to Nunez on the penalty spot.
The Liverpool star extends a foot out but cannot connect with the ball, and South Korea clear their lines.
Close!
20' - Gimenez drills a gorgeous diagonal pass from defence into the path of on-running team-mate Valverde, who takes a snapshot with his weaker left foot in a bid to catch out the South Korean defence.
His effort narrowly shaves the bar and the referee points for a goal kick.
18' - Great turn from Hwang In-beom in midfield allows the South Korean to find Lee Jae-sung out wide, but the attack ends with a whimper after a poor pass.
15' - Finally Uruguay are able to generate a fruitful spell of possession in the engine room and string a series of passes together with Vecino, Valverde and Bentancur.
South Korea do well to stem the flow however and look compact in defence. With Son's speed on the break, they'll be happy to sit back and look to hurt the South American side on the counter.
13' - Vecino's hard running in midfield allows the Uruguayan to muscle full-back Kim Tae-hwan off the ball, and the midfielder passes the ball on to Olivera on the left flank.
The left-back's ball back to Vecino is slightly overhit, and Kim Seung-gyu gathers between the sticks.
10' - South Korea pump another long ball over the top and force Godin to clear for a throw, inciting an exuberant reaction from their supporters.
They're loving every minute of this so far, as Uruguay dig deep in defence.
8' - Na Sang-ho uses his pace out wide to rip around Olivera on the right flank, but Godin is there to clear for a corner as he breaks into the box.
Son's delivery from the corner is ineffective and Uruguay clear with ease.
6' - Nunez breaks away and is fouled by Na San-ho, who cynically brings the forward down as he breaks away on the counter.
5' - Late challenge by Vecino on Hwang In-beom gifts South Korea a free kick in the middle of Uruguay's half, marking a positive start for Paulo Bento's side. He'll be very happy with his team's intensity from the outset.
2' - As both sides look to seek an early advantage, South Korea play the ball long and force a corner.
A short corner routine sees Son whip a dangerous ball into the box, but Rochet deals with the danger.
1' - Hwang Ui-jo gets things underway in Al Rayyan as South Korea kick-off.
Both sides belt out their national anthems and the chorus of cheer rings around the Education City Stadium.
Diego Godin and Son Heung-min head to the middle to complete the toss. Here we go!
Several South Koreans have turned up today sporting a black face mask to show their support for Son Heung-min!
Former Germany star Jurgen Klinsmann is very happy to see Son Heung-min start for South Korea, but is worried that Uruguay's physical style of play will disrupt him during the match.
The Tottenham star will wear a protective mask because of his eye socket injury.
He said: 'I hope he is okay. They will go after him. Uruguay is a very physical team.'
Uruguay are the ONLY nation to have had two players score in each of the last three World Cups, dating back to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Both Luis Suarez, 35, and Edinson Cavani, 35, could extend that record to four tournaments with goals in Qatar, which will surely be their final World Cup with Uruguay.
There's just under half an hour to go until the World Cup clash at the Education City Stadium, and the players have already graced the pitch to perform their final pre-flight checks ahead of kick-off.
Sonny's wearing his protective face mask - can he be South Korea's superhero once again tonight?
A carnival atmosphere outside the Education City Stadium as Uruguay supporters danced their way to the turnstiles ahead of kick-off.
It promises to be a lively atmosphere in Al Rayyan this afternoon!
He's appeared in just one match for Manchester United this season, but that hasn't stopped 20-year-old Facundo Pellistri from impressing Uruguay boss Diego Alonso.
The youngster starts alongside Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunez at the top of the pitch and could well use the World Cup as a launchpad for his Red Devils career.
Switzerland kickstarted their World Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 win against Cameroon in Group G, after Breel Embolo tucked home a simple tap-in thanks to an excellent low cross from former Liverpool star Xherdan Shaqiri.
Read Sportsmail's full report and updates from the match below.
Son Heung-min is back amongst the starters having recovered from his fractured eye socket injury while Paulo Bento names five Kims in the back five for South Korea: Kim Seung-guy (goalkeeper); Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon; and Kim Jin-su.
Reporting live on this match? Mission Kimpossible...
Diego Godin captains his country alongside former Atletico Madrid team-mate Jose Gimenez, as Darwin Nunez is preferred in attack over Edinson Cavani.
Diego Alonso has lined up with a diamond midfield of Federico Valverde, Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur and Facundo Pellistri, who will likely play just behind the front two.
South Korea head coach Paulo Bento said that he hopes Son Heung-min 'feels comfortable' in the clash against Uruguay as he confirmed the star forward would be fit to feature in their World Cup opener.
He insisted South Korea will use the 'best strategy' to make him feel at ease.
Safe to assume the goalkeeper won't be targeting him from goal-kicks then...
Soon we'll hear the national anthems of Uruguay and South Korea for the first time at this World Cup, and here's a brief history of the patriotic hymns.
South Korea:
Called Aegukga, South Korea's national anthem was adopted in 1948 in the year the country was founded.
Its lyrics, which date back to the 1890s, were originally set to the music of the famous Scottish song Auld Lang Syne, until Ahn Eak-tai composed a unique new melody in 1936. The anthem was most recently re-arranged in 2018.
Aegukga, which is designed to remind the nation of the love that their forefathers held for them, literally translates as 'patriotic song'.
Uruguay:
Himno Nacional de Uruguay - unsurprisingly translated directly as the national hymn of Uruguay - was written by the same poet who wrote the Paraguay national anthem, Francisco Acuna de Figueroa.
His first version of the song was not initially accepted, and he was forced to modify the anthem in 1830 to tone down the language about Portugal, Spain and Brazil. He took a full 15 years to write the lyrics before he was completely happy with the final version.
The opening line reads: 'Easterners, the Fatherland or the grave! Liberty or with glory we die!'
Although Uruguay boats the superior head-to-head record throughout history, South Korea currently owns the bragging rights.
During a friendly in 2018, Hwang Ui-jo and Jung Woo-young scored in the second-half to fire South Korea to a 2-1 win against the Uruguayans in what is - until today - their most recent meeting.
Excluding the five friendlies played between the sides, Uruguay have triumphed in all three competitive match-ups against the Asian outfit, first winning at the Nehru Cup in 1982 before carving out World Cup victories in 1990 and 2010.
1982: South Korea 2-2 Uruguay (Nehru Cup)
1990: South Korea 0-1 Uruguay (World Cup)
2002: Uruguay 2-1 South Korea (Friendly)
2003: South Korea 0-2 Uruguay (Friendly)
2007: South Korea 0-2 Uruguay (Friendly)
2010: Uruguay 2-1 South Korea (World Cup)
2014: South Korea 0-1 Uruguay (Friendly)
2018: South Korea 2-1 Uruguay (Friendly)
Uruguay were imperious in the group stage during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, winning all three of their matches against Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to advance through to the knockout in Group A's top spot.
Meanwhile, South Korea missed out on qualification to Sweden and Mexico in Group F, despite beating reigning champions Germany 2-0 to help knock them out of the tournament.
Uruguay sent Portugal home in the last 16 thanks to a stunning double from Edison Cavani, but fell short in the quarter-finals to eventual champions France.
Although Son Heung-min headlines the group, there are a handful of top players within South Korea's ranks.
Napoli defender Kim Min-jae helped marshal the Italian giants to the summit of Serie A before the World Cup and Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan has demonstrated he's a versatile midfielder capable of playing up front.
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu, Jo Hyeon-woo, Song Bum-keun
Defenders: Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su, Hong Chul, Kim Min-jae, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Tae-hwan, Cho Yu-min, Yoon Jong-gyu
Midfielders: Jung Woo-young, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Kwon Chang-hoon, Hwang In-beom, Na Sang-ho, Son Jun-ho, Paik Seung-ho, Jeong Woo-yeong, Lee Kang-in, Song Min-kyu
Forwards: Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo, Cho Gue-sung
With line-ups yet to be announced, here's Uruguay's full 26-strong squad who will each be hoping to win Diego Alonso's favour ahead of the clash.
Behind star trio Nunez, Suarez and Cavani, there are a handful of experienced and familiar faces in the roster including Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez, Real Madrid star Federico Valverde and Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Sergio Rochet, Sebastian Sosa
Defenders: Diego Godin, Guillermo Varela, Jose Gimenez, Ronald Araujo, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Matias Vina, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Mathias Olivera
Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nicolas de la Cruz, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Lucas Torreira, Federico Valverde, Matias Vecino
Forwards: Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez, Maxi Gomez, Augustin Canobbio, Facundo Torres, Edinson Cavani, Facundo Pellistri
Fewer nations ranked outside FIFA's top 10 can boast a frontline of Uruguay's quality.
Liverpool star Darwin Nunez joins veterans Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani at this World Cup to fashion one of the most imposing strike forces in world football - and South Korea will have to keep their wits about them in defence.
Check out Sportsmail's analysis of the three Uruguayan superstars below.
South Korea were handed a huge boost yesterday as Tottenham star and national hero Son Heung-min was announced fit enough to feature against Uruguay.
Son fractured his eye socket during Spurs' Champions League clash with Marseille earlier this month and was forced to undergo surgery, but head coach Paulo Bento confirmed he would return on Thursday with a protective face mask.
Read Sportsmail's full story below.
With the final opening matches of the tournament set to happen today, Uruguay and South Korea are one of the last teams to kickstart their World Cup campaigns ahead of the clash in Al Rayyan.
The Education City Stadium, which holds 45,350 supporters, will stage the crucial Group H match.
For more news about where and when the match is being played, read Sportsmail's preview below.
Hello!
Sportsmail's live coverage of the World Cup continues with Uruguay against South Korea, which is set to kick-off at 1pm GMT today.
Sharing Group H with Portugal and Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea will be eager to carve out a positive start to their World Cup campaign, with the winner of today's match taking pole position in the race to qualify for the knockouts.
Stay tuned into our live blog throughout the day as Sportsmail brings you all the latest news, updates, build-up and match action.
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