“Saudi Arabia players are very talented, they are fast, technical. This match surprised me with the level my team played at in the first half. We were too relaxed. Maybe, the opponent made us play that way. After the match with Russia, the Saudi Arabia players played well and deserved our respect. They had more possessions, but, thankfully, that did not have an impact on the result,” Tabarez told journalists.

He added that his team would face “strong opponents” in the knockout stage, but Uruguay had faced “a lot of strong sides.”

Luis Suarez got the only goal of the game for the side from South America, which means Uruguay have a maximum six points from their first two games.

“Suarez played better, than in the match with Egypt. He was under physical pressure, he fought it, showing his fighting spirit, tried to take the ball from the opponent. Luis always shows his character and plays under pressure, and has reached fantastic results in his career. I hope he will make a great contribution to Uruguay's results, he is a great striker,” the head coach said.

Uruguay's victory means that both the South American side and Russia have qualified for the round of 16, the teams will face each other on 25 June at Samara Arena.