Uruguay Score Late Winner to Beat Egypt as Mohamed Salah Sits at 2018 World Cup

Jose Gimenez snatched a late winner for Uruguay on Friday as they beat Group A opponents Egypt 1-0 at the Ekaterinburg Arena in Russia in their first match at the 2018 World Cup.

Gimenez rose in the 89th minute to head home Carlos Sanchez's corner to grant La Celeste their first win in the opening match of a World Cup since 1970.

Mohamed Salah was restricted to the bench for Egypt from the start and remained an unused substitute in the clash.

Uruguay Need to Improve a Lot to Earn Their 'Dark Horse' Tag

With the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front and Atletico Madrid duo Diego Godin and Gimenez at the back, many have tipped Uruguay to go far in Russia on the back of their talented crop of players.

Egypt will likely prove be their most difficult group match, but despite taking three points, La Celeste were disappointing for much of the game.

Their attacking play was slow and sluggish, and ESPN's Michael Cox was unimpressed with them in the middle, too:

Football writer Tom Williams felt it was telling that Uruguay's best moment in the first half came from a break forward by Godin:

Cavani provided a bright spark up front, but he was as good as Suarez was poor. The Barcelona star failed to convert several opportunities, including one from close range in the first half that he fired into the side netting, and looked lethargic throughout.

Uruguay still have the talent to have a significant impact on the World Cup, but they have a lot to work on in the coming weeks if that's to happen, as noted by football writer Jack Lang:

Egypt Must Look for Attacking Solutions Beyond Salah

With Egypt boss Hector Cuper opting to leave Salah on the bench, it fell to the Pharaoh's other attacking stars to carry the torch in his stead.

Although Uruguay may have one of the meanest defensive pairings at the tournament, Egypt did little to convince they can go far without Salah.

Even Suarez, as disappointing as he was, showed more going forward:

Trezeguet, in particular, will need to step up, as he is one of their top attacking players outside of Salah. He failed to live up to his namesake, per Cox and Eurosport's Tom Adams:

Salah is still yet to play since he suffered a shoulder injury in the UEFA Champions League final last month, and Cuper's decision not to bring him on shows Egypt might not be able to rely on him in their coming matches.

If he does play, he might not be at his best, either.

Saudi Arabia and Russia should present much more promising opportunities for Egypt going forward, but unless their players are able to offer a greater spark of inspiration in the final third, they'll be reliant almost entirely on Salah.