FIFA World Cup 2018 quarterfinals: France vs Uruguay - As it happened

It is the end of the road for the South Americans. France, on the other hand, will face the winner of Brazil vs Belgium in the semi-finals.

Pic courtesy: Twitter/@FrenchTeam

France advance to their sixth semi-finals of the tournament after a comfortable 2-0 win over Uruguay. Antoine Griezmann scored, off a terrible error by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, to seal the match for France after Raphael Varane’s header late in the first-half. Uruguay pressed hard in the final third but failed to get past the French defence. It is the end of the road for the South American. France, on the other hand, will face the winner of Brazil vs Belgium in the semi-finals. 

Follow the match updates here:

France 2-0 Uruguay!!

Full-time!!

5 minutes of Stoppage time!

88 minute: Substitution for France. Mbappe is replaced by Dembele. Free-kick to France at a dangerous position. Greizmann fires the ball away from the goal. It is nearly over for Uruguay here. 

8 minutes to go!

80 minute: Substitution for France. N'Zonzi is in for Tolisso. 

78 minute: Uruguay are up and attacking desperately in the final third but the French defence hold a tight line. 

73 minute: Substitution for Uruguay. Nandez is replaced by Urretaviscaya

73 minute: MISS!! France's Tolisso creates space near the Uruguay box but fires the ball away from the goal. 

69 minute: Yellow card!  France's Mbappe and Uruguay's Rodríguez get booked. 

Interestingly, France have never lost a match when Greizmann has scored. 

France 2-0 Uruguay!

61 minute: GOAL!! Greizmann picks up a pass near the Uruguay box and fires the ball towards goalkeeper Muslera, who fails to hold on to the ball and concedes a goal. France 2-0 Uruguay. 

59 minute: Substitution for Uruguay. Stuani is replaced by Gomez. Rodriguez replaces Bentancur. 

58 minute: Uruguay are pushing hard to score an equaliser as Caceres fires a cross from the right but France's Pavard clears the ball.  

52 minute: Corner for France. Suarez clears the ball away from the box. France's Pavard attempts a shot from distance but skies the ball into the crowd. 

50 minute: Free-kick to France after Mbappe goes down in a challenge from Laxalt. Mbappe fires the ball in but goalkeeper Muslera punches the ball away. 

Second-half is underway!

France will be happy with a 1-0 lead over the South Americans at half-time. Uruguay, on the other hand, nearly scored the equaliser after Caceres header was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Raphael Varane netted a header into the bottom corner off a free-kick by Antoine Griezmann in the 40th minute to take France to the lead. Uruguay will try and create more opportunities in the final-third. Expect a cracker in the second-half. 

France 1-0 Uruguay!!

Half-time!!

This is the first time that Uruguay have been behind at the FIFA World Cup 2018. 

2 minute of Stoppage time!

43 minute: Free-kick to Uruguay. MISS!! Goalkeeper Lloris leaps to his right to make a brilliant save off a header by Caceres. That was close. 

France 1-0 Uruguay!

40 minute: GOAL!!! Varane heads the ball into the left corner off a free-kick from Greizmann. France take the lead. 

39 minute: Yellow card! Bentancur gets a yellow card for a challenge on Tolisso. 

35 minute: Mbappe displays impressive speed as he gets away from Laxalt and squeezes a cross from the corner but fails to find a teammate in the box. 

33 minute: Yellow card! France's Hernandez gets booked for a challenge on Nandez. 

30 minute: Pavard makes a cross from the right-flank and finds Mbappe in the box, but the latter fails to capitalise. Uruguay have looked sharp in the defence. 

26 minute: France are pressing hard in the final third forcing Uruguay to defend deep in their half. 

Possession: France- 63 percent and Uruguay- 37 percent.

22 minute: Corner for France. Greizmann whips the ball in but the Uruguay defender clears the ball away. 

18 minute: France's Pogba attempts a shot from distance but clouds the ball away from the goal.  

16 minute: MISS!! Giroud finds Mbappe in the Uruguay box but Mbappe heads the ball over the crossbar. That was close. 

14 minute: Corner for Uruguay. Goalkeeper Lloris rushes out to knock the ball away off a header by Stuani. 

10 minute: Free-kick to France. Greizmann whips the ball in to find Varane, but the latter heads the ball wide. 

6 minute: France's Hernandez chips the ball into the South American box but hits it directly towards a defender, who heads the ball away. 

4 minute:  Uruguay make the first attack of the match but the French defence clear the ball to safety. Bright start for Uruguay. 

Four of the last five matches between France and Uruguay have been goalless. 

In a huge blow for Uruguay, star-striker Cavani misses out after he picked up a calf-injury against Portugal. Cristhian Stuani replaces Cavani in the front-line.  

Lineups: 

France XI: H. Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Hernandez, Pogba, Tolisso, Kante, Greizmann, Giroud, Mbappe. 

Uruguay XI: F. Muslera, J.M. Gimenez, D. Godin, M. Caceres, R. Bentancur, N. Nandez, L. Torreira, M.Vecino, D. Laxalt, L. Suarez, C. Stuani. 

The South American defence, lead by Diego Godin, will look to continue their impressive record of conceding just one goal in four games against the in-form Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba. 

Both the side are unbeaten in the tournament. The South Americans have met France thrice at the World Cup, where they beat the latter 2-1 in 1966 and drew in 2002 and 2010. 

Squads

France:

Goalkeepers - Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Alphonse Areola.

Defenders - Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami, Benjamin Pavard, Presnel Kimpembe, Bernard Mendy, Djibril Sidibe, Lucas Hernandez.

Midfielders - Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Thomas Lemar, Corentin Tolisso, Steven N’Zonzi.

Forwards - Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Nabil Fekir, Ousmane Dembele, Florian Thauvin

Uruguay:

Goalkeepers - Martin Campana, Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva.  

Defenders - Martin Caceres, Sebastian Coates, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Maximiliano Pereira, Gaston Silva, Guillermo Varela.  

Midfielders - Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Rodrigo Bentancur, Diego Laxalt, Nahitan Nandez, Cristian Rodriguez, Carlos Sanchez, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Jonathan Urretaviscaya. 

Forwards - Edinson Cavani, Maximiliano Gomez, Cristhian Stuani, Luis Suarez.