Group B of the Confederations Cup got off to either a predictable or inauspicious start, depending on who you were supporting, with Spain defeating Uruguay with a 2-1 score line that flattered the South Americans.
Spain continue their run to the 2014 World Cup unchecked and unchallenged, and for their part Uruguay did not put up much of a fight against the reigning European and world champions. Spain quickly took hold of the match and did not let go, stifling Uruguay's ability to get any meaningful possession and rendering them unable to impose themselves on the match for any significant stretch of time. Goals by Pedro and Roberto Soldado in the first half effectively rendered the match finished after just over half an hour played.
Make no mistake that Uruguay truly were poor on the day, and while their Confederation Cup dreams may not yet be dead with matches still to come against Tahiti and Nigeria, there is much soul-searching to be done by the team as their disappointing performances in the last year-and-a-half do not bode well for assured qualification for the World Cup. Spain, on the other hand, are on confident yet marginally boring cruise control and are giving no signs that they're about to let up any time soon.
On the Liverpool front, both Pepe Reina and Sebastian Coates unsurprisingly remained perennial bench warmers for their respective nations. Luis Suarez was unable to break through Spain's defence for much of the match, but in the 88th minute Uruguay drew a free kick and — surprise! — Suarez clawed one back for his country by converting directly from the set piece. His last minute effort wasn't enough to spur his compatriots on to finding an equalizer and the scoreline remained the same at the end of extra time.
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