Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

2018 World Cup. All you need to know about group A


Thu 07 Jun 2018 | 03:21 PM
Mohamed Wadie

Uruguay

Position in rating FIFA : 14

Composition 

Goalkeepers : Martin Campana (Independiente), Fernando Musler (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama).

Defenders : Diego Godin (Atletico), Sebastian Coates (Sporting), Jose Jimenez (Atletico), Maxi Pereira (Porto), Gaston Silva (Independiente), Martin Caceres (Lazio) Guillermo Varela ("Penarol").

Midfielders : Naithan Nandes (Boca Juniors), Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria), Matias Vesino (Inter), Rodrigo Bentancourt (Juventus), Carlos Sanchez (Monterrey), Georges de Arraskaeta (Cruzeiro ), Diego Laxalt (Genoa), Christian Rodriguez (Penarol), Honatan Urretavicaya (Monterrey).

Forwards : Christian Stuani (Girona), Maxi Gomez (Celta), Edinson Cavani (PSG), Luis Suarez (Barcelona).

Selection for the

Uruguayan World Cup was selected for the tournament in the zone "South America" ​​and took second place in it. Above it was only Brazil, and behind - Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Chile. The last after the final of the Confederations Cup last year this time did not make it to Russia.

Uruguay won half of all their matches in the group (9), simultaneously defeating most of the neighbors on the table. It is striking that this team is far less effective at home. In nine away games the team lost four games and scored just nine points from the final 31. Ahead is a trip to Russia.

Last matches

This year, Uruguay has already won an international tournament. Let him be a comrade. In the spring in the international Cup of China, the team beat the Czechs (2-0), and in the finals with the help of the goal Cavani beat the Welsh (1-0). Those same, from the last Euro, remember? Before the World Cup Uruguayans are going to hold only one match - with Uzbekistan. An interesting choice.

Egypt

Rank in FIFA rankings : 45

Squad 

Goalkeepers : Essam El-Hadari (Al-Taawun), Mohamed El-Shanawi (Al-Ahli), Sheriff Ekrami (Al-Ahli).

Defenders : Ahmed Fathi, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf (all al-Ahli), Mahmoud Hamdi (Zemalek), Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Al Fateh), Ahmed Hegazi, Ali Gabr (both West Bromwich Albion "), Ahmed Al-Muhammadi (" Aston Villa "), Omar Haber (" Los Angeles ").

Midfielders : Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Shikabala (Al-Raed), Abdallah Said (KuPS), Sam Morsi (Wigan), Mohamed El-Nenni (Arsenal), Kahraba (Al- Ittihad "), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City), Mahmud Hassan (" Kashimpasa "), Amr Warda (" Atromitos ").

Forwards : Marwan Mohsen (Al-Ahli), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).

Selection for the World Cup

The road to the World Cup began for the Egyptians disgustingly: they managed to lose to Chad in the selection round. However, in the second leg the team of Mo Salah gathered and broke the opponent with the score 4: 0.

In African selection there is no common group, as in Latin America. There everything is decided in subgroups, and on paper Egypt was lucky with rivals. They are Uganda, Ghana and Congo. The team took first place in the group without problems, losing only once to Uganda. However, in six games, Egypt scored only eight goals - less than any other African team at the mundiale.

By the way, in parallel with the selection of the Egyptians played in the Cup of Africa, in which they could reach the finals, but eventually lost to Cameroon. In that match, the head coach of the national team Hector Cooper has strengthened his image of a man who constantly loses in the finals.

Last matches.

Portugal - Egypt - 2: 1

Egypt - Greece - 0: 1

Kuwait - Egypt - 1: 1

Egypt - Colombia - 0: 0

Belgium - Egypt - 3: 0

 

Russia

Rank in FIFA rank : 70 

Goalkeepers : Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov ("Bruges" Belgium), Andrei Lunev (Zenit St. Petersburg).

Defenders : Vladimir Granat (Rubin Kazan), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Fedor Kudryashov (Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Andrei Semyonov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit "St. Petersburg), Mario Fernandez (CSKA Moscow).

Midfielders: Yuri Gazinsky (Krasnodar), Alexander Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Erokhin (Zenit St Petersburg), Yuri Zhirkov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Zobnin (Spartak "Moscow), Daler Kuzyaev (Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Samedov (Spartak Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal Spain).

Forwards : Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Alexei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar).

Selection at the World Cup

Here everything is clear, Russia did not participate in the qualifying tournament as hostess of the tournament. This added to the hassle of finding rivals for friendly matches. But about them a little lower.

Last matches

After several matches with top rivals, many of which our team lost, it was the turn of matches easier - with Austria and Turkey. Long playing the scheme with three central, the head coach of the team moved to the standard scheme of four defenders (which he was called all year round).

The result is not yet given, and both matches instead of football on the field there was an eerily dull event without moments and at least some thought. Well, at least the fans did not catch her. As a result - the national team comes to home mundialyu in a very sad mood. But we smile and wave: it's football, and in three matches anything can happen.

Saudi Arabia

Rank in FIFA rankings : 67

Squad 

Goalkeepers : Mohammed Al-Owais (Al-Ahli Jidda), Yasser Al-Mosayl (Al-Ahli), Abdullah al-Mayyuf.

Defenders : Mansour al-Harbi, Motaz Khawsawi (both Al Ahli), Yasser al-Shahrani, Osama Havasavi, Mohammed al-Burayk, Ali al-Bulaikhi (all al-Hilal), Omar Havsavi (" Al-Nasr ").

Midfielders : Abdullah Al-Khaibari (Al-Shabab), Ali al-Haybari (Al-Etifak), Abdullah Otaif, Salman al-Faraj (all al-Hilal), Taysir al-Jassim (Al Ahli "), Hussein al-Mafhavi, Mohamed Kano, Hattan Bahebri (all al-Shabab), Salem Al-Dosari (Villarreal, Spain), Yahya al-Sheri (Leganes, Spain).

Forwards : Fahad al-Mu'valdad ("Levante", Spain), Mohammad al-Sahlawi (Al-Nasr), Mohannad Asseri (Al-Ahli).

Selection for the World Cup

In Asian selection, the scheme is particularly difficult: it involves two group stages. In the first Arabians without problems took the first place, scoring 27 goals in eight games, but in the second all was less carefree.

This is logical, given that among the rivals were Japan and Australia. The first Saudi Arabia skipped ahead, but the Australians pushed to third place and directly went to the World Cup. By the way, among the Arabians, along with the Japanese, the most productive team on the basis of the selection for the World Cup.

Last matches

This year the team plays a lot of friendly matches and in some places it looks very worthy. Among such results, the defeat of Moldova, the victory over Algeria and Greece. True, the last matches the team loses. First they contributed to the successful start of Mancini in the Italian national team (1: 2), and a little later lost the match to the Peruvians (0: 3). Now the team is clearly not in the best shape.