First half goals from Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani helped set up Uruguay’s date with Wales in the finals of China Cup.
Uruguay made it through to the finals of the China Cup after beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Nanning on Friday.
A Luis Suarez penalty in the tenth minute gave the Uruguayans the lead, before his strike partner Edinson Cavani made it 2-0 in the 37th minute via a spectacular overhead kick.
They will now take on Wales in the finals of the tournament on Monday, while Czech Republic will battle it out against hosts China, who were thrashed 6-0 by Wales on Thursday, for the third place.
Here’s how we rated the performances of both sets of players on the day;
Uruguay
Fernando Muslera: 6/10
Made a smart save from Antonin Barak in the first period. Beaten twice by Patrik Schick after the break, but one chance went wide and the other hit the post.
Guillermo Varela: 5.5/10
Did not offer a great deal going forward in attack apart from one good cross in the first half and allowed a number of crosses to come in from his flank.
Jose Maria Gimenez: 6.5/10
Did a fairly solid job throughout the game to keep Czech Republic under check, apart from the two occasions after the break when the whole defence was caught out.
Diego Godin: 7/10
The captain was solid as always, leading the team from the front. Threw himself into challenges, won aerial battles.
Diego Laxalt: 6/10
There were a few moments when he tried to offer width down the left-flank for Uruguay. Defensively was sound and alert.
Nahitan Nandez: 6.5/10
Set up the second goal for Cavani with a flicked header and was a nuisance to the Czech backline throughout his time on the pitch.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 7/10
The Juventus midfielder kept things ticking in the middle of the park for Uruguay with his pinpoint distribution. Finished the match with 90% pass accuracy.
Mattias Vecino: 7/10
Came close to scoring with a headed effort in the first period. Offered support to the two strikers at the top.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta: 6/10
Played the ball that led to Uruguay winning the penalty. Made good runs cutting inside from the wide areas.
Edinson Cavani celebrating his 41st goal for Uruguay.
Was it his best? pic.twitter.com/sdJHKFeSO1
— Warriors of Uruguay (@UruguayanHeroes) March 23, 2018
Edinson Cavani: 7.5/10
Had a chance to double Uruguay’s lead but missed. Made amends with a spectacular bicycle kick soon after to make it 2-0, although there were doubts over whether he was offside leading to the strike.
Luis Suarez: 7.5/10
Won the penalty in the first period and showed his clinical nature, blasting home from the spot to give his team the lead.
Czech Republic
Jiri Pavlenka: 5/10
Gave away the penalty in the first-half with a reckless challenge on Suarez. Not a lot he could do about Cavani’s worldie.
Pavel Kaderabek: 5/10
Wasn’t the most reliable presence at right-back but tried to push up the pitch each time he had a chance.
Theodor Gebre Selassie: 5/10
Made a few decent blocks at the back at first, but should have shown more alertness in the build-up to the goals.
Marek Suchy: 5/10
Caught higher up the pitch than he should have been for both of Uruguay’s goals in the first period.
Filip Novak: 5/10
Same as Suchy, was not alert enough to read the overhead passes in behind them that led to the goals.
Jan Boril: 4/10
Much like his teammate on the opposite flank, Boril too looked susceptible on a number of occasions, and was taken off after the second goal.
Vladimir Darida: 5/10
A day to forget for the Hertha Berlin attacking midfielder as he struggled to get into the game and make any impact.
Tomas Sucek: 6/10
Headed wide from close range in the first half. His distribution from the middle was spot on more often than not.
Antonin Barak: 6/10
Forced a save from Muslera with a driven effort from distance in the first period. Tried hard to stop Uruguay from settling into a rhythm.
Michal Krmencik: 5/10
Did not have a lot of service coming his way, which rendered him ineffective before being taken off at the hour mark.
Patrik Schick: 5/10
Had two great chances to get his team back into the game but headed wide on the first occasion and hit the woodwork the second time around. Needed to be clinical.
