France cruised past a Uruguay team missing Edinson Cavani to become the first team in the semifinals of the World Cup. Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann scored in the 2-0 victory Friday at Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, with Griezmann’s goal coming on a goalkeeper howler by Fernando Muslera. Cavani, a crucial counterpart to Uruguay’s star striker Luis Suarez, missed the game because of a calf injury.
France displayed a multi-faceted attack, which allowed it to overcome a stout Uruguayan defense that had only surrendered one goal all tournament long. There weren’t the gaping holes that Kylian Mbappé so viciously exploited against Argentina, so instead they worked a variety of angles. They tried through balls to Mbappé, crosses to Olivier Giroud, free kicks towards their big center backs and whatever Griezmann wanted to do. Uruguay couldn’t neutralize France because there is no single player or single strategy to neutralize.
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