Uruguay has one of the richest histories in the FIFA World Cup. The South American national team won the first World Cup in 1930, and twenty years later on Brazilian football pitches it became a two-time world champion. Undoubtedly, at this stage of history nothing indicates Uruguay's dominance on the international scene; they are not among the tournament favorites in North America. At the same time, before the tournament began, Uruguay was considered the second favorite to top their group after Spain. Having Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in the group gave every reason to regard the European and South American teams as undisputed candidates to advance to the knockout stage in the top two positions. However, the first round here produced not one, but two sensational results. Uruguay faced Saudi Arabia and during the entire match allowed only a single five-minute spell. For that they paid dearly with a conceded goal. The goal scored by Abdullah Al-Amiri near the end of the first half remained for a long time the only goal of the match, until Uruguay nevertheless got their equalizer about 15 minutes before the final whistle - 1:1. Cape Verde made its World Cup debut and immediately earned the status of one of the tournament's outsiders. In the opening round the African team faced one of the most serious tests on the world stage in the form of Spain. Cape Verde coped with the task with such calmness and dignity (0:0) that you involuntarily begin to think about the possible ambitions of this squad to advance from the group. Bookmakers made the South American team the favorite for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.44 on its victory. Uruguay played well against Saudi Arabia and created many goal-scoring chances. However, like many other favorites in this tournament, Valverde and his team failed to convert most of what they created. Cape Verde built such a tight and organized defense against Spain that the Red Fury spent the entire match pressing against it as if against rocks. Moreover, the African team played so calmly and without fuss that it seems as if every morning before lunch they face one of the world's strongest teams. It is unlikely such guys would unsettle the Uruguayan side either.