Korea Republic and Uruguay played out a dull 0-0 draw in the first Group H match at the World Cup in Qatar.
Uruguay lined up with a chaotic frontline including current Liverpool star Darwin Nunez and ex-Red Luis Suarez.
Tottenham star Son Heung-min played the game with a protective mask after suffering a facial injury for Spurs in their Champions League win over Marseille.
There were initial worries Son would not be fit to play in the World Cup, but he started and captained the Koreans in their opening fixture in Qatar.
Nunez had the first big chance of the match but failed to connect with Facundo Pellistri’s teasing cross.
Shortly afterward, Korea had their best chance as Nottingham Forest striker – on loan at Olympiacos – Hwang Ui-jo steered a pull-back over the bar inside the box.
Uruguay captain Diego Godin came closest to opening the scoring in the opening 45 minutes, striking the post from a header.
The South American nation dominated possession in the second half but struggled to find a way through the well-structured Korean defence.
After a quiet afternoon, experienced striker Luis Suarez was brought off for another stalwart on Edinson Cavani.
Nunez once again came close to scoring with a strike from just outside the 18-yard box, but the Liverpool striker saw his shot go past the far post.
Real Madrid star Federico Valverde struck the woodwork with a tremendous long-range effort as injury time approached.
A minute later, Son had an effort from outside the box go past the post after a slack bit of play by the Uruguayan defence.
The best moment of the game was probably Valverde’s reaction after putting in a well-timed tackle as the clock ticked down. That says all you need to know about the 90 minutes of football we just watched.
The best action of the game all came in the final two minutes of normal time and the seven minutes of stoppage time. It was a bad game. Another 0-0.
More to follow…
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