Nizhniy Novgorod — Streetwise and tough yet with a razor-sharp edge, Uruguay have moved serenely into the World Cup quarterfinals, ignoring the chaos that has swamped former winners Argentina and Spain. Uruguay have shown in Russia they are extremely difficult to beat yet sometimes underwhelming — all things that could have been predicted from La Celeste before the World Cup. A slow start —with an 89th-minute winner that gave them a forgettable 1-0 win over a Mohamed Salah-less Egypt in their first game — has now given way to a campaign with real hope of winning the World Cup. With a defence built around the central pairing of Jose Gimenez and the vastly experienced Diego Godin — they also play together at Atletico Madrid — Uruguay have won all four games in Russia, conceding a solitary goal. They are also the only side to have beaten Russia, overwhelming them 3-0 in the group stage in what appeared to be a reality check for the host nation before they went on to stun Spain in the l...
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