16 June 2018
The first day of #JuveWorldCup, on Day 2 of the tournament in Russia, starred Juventus players Rodrigo Bentancur and Medhi Benatia in action for Uruguay and Morocco respectively, with both matches being decided in the last few minutes.
URUGUAY victory
Bentancur became the first Juventus player to appear at the 2018 World Cup when he took to the field for Uruguay's opener against Egypt, playing the full 90 minutes.
A tight and balanced game, the match was finally decided in the 89th minute when Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez rose highest to nod in a set-piece to give La Celeste a 1-0 win.
It was a very involved display from Bentancur who had the most touches in the match (104), whilst also making the most passes (87) and intercepted six balls.
MOROCCO BEATEN
In contrast, there was defeat for Morocco's first outing in Russia, as Medhi Benatia played the full 90 minutes, captaining the side.
A tight and tense match against Iran, the game's telling point came very late on in the 95th minute when Moroccan defender, Aziz Bouhaddouz headed into his own net on a free-kick to award Iran an opening 1-0 win.
As for Benatia, the Juve number four had the most touches (101) and recovered the most balls (10). In addition, the Juventus defender had the first shot on goal for Morocco in the match.
TODAY' GAMES
Blaise Matuidi's France are in action against Australia in Group C at 12:00 CEST, whilst in Group D Argentina with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in their ranks will be facing Iceland at 15:00 CEST, and then later on this evening at 21:00 CEST Croatia (Mario Mandzukic & Marko Pjaca) will take on Nigeria.
