Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia 2018 World Cup Luis Suarez goal lifts Uruguay to round of 16

Senegal scores a Group H upset of Poland

Notable: Uruguay hopes to reach the knockout round for the third straight time. It finished in fourth place eight years ago in South Africa.

Only 10 minutes left on the clock ⏱️?

Best finish: Champion, 1930 and 1950.

Swarms of bugs invade Volgograd before England-Tunisia World Cup game

Suarez, who was barred from the 2014 tournament for biting an opponent and was roundly ripped for drawing a red card in a victory in 2010, is making his 100th appearance for Uruguay. A win would put Uruguay in the next round; a loss would eliminate Saudi Arabia.

But that matters not, because a first-half goal by Luis Suarez held up, lifting Uruguay to a 1-0 victory and the round of 16. The victory for Uruguay marks the first time ithas won its first two World Cup matchessince 1954. Next up  is a match Monday against Russia, for first place in Group A. Saudi Arabia was eliminated with the loss.

The World Cup is here. Want smart analysis, opinions, viewing guides and more?Sign up for our month-long newsletter. Every match day through the final July 15.

Russia smashes Saudi Arabia in World Cup opener

Last World Cup showing: Round of 16, 2014.

The ball lands at his feet on the corner and he taps it home to give Uruguay a 1-0 /gsBC1qFq5Y

[Red Devils, Green Falcons and Super Eagles, oh my: A guide to World Cup nicknames]

Uruguay:vs. Russia in Samara, June 25, 10 a.m.

Expectations for this match were low, and it lived up (or down) to them, with one announcer best describing the play as sleepy.

Saudi Arabia was surprisingly more disciplined than it was in its disastrous opener against Russia and controlled the ball better, forcing Uruguay to drop deeper than most expected. For its part, Uruguay looked sluggish at times but still managed to take a lead into halftime thanks to a goaltending blunder by the Saudis. That was all Uruguay needed.

In his 100th appearance with the team, Suarez notched his sixth World Cup goal for Uruguay, this one coming in the 23rd minute.

Which teams should you root for in the World Cup?

Its a warm, muggy day and, after barely touching the ball in the first two minutes, Saudi Arabia got a chance on a free kick just outside of Uruguays penalty area.

We need to keep a cool head, defender Jose Gimenez, who scored in the 89th minute against Egypt, told reporters (via Reuters). We know that any game here is very hard, and we need to think of it that way.

Luis Suarez scores in his 100th appearance for Uruguay. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)

This, really, isnt what Saudi Arabia needed. After giving up five goals in its loss to Russia, the lowest-ranked World Cup team, next up for the Saudis is Uruguay, a South American power with stars Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. And, as if that werent enough, Uruguay figures to be testy after squeaking past Egypt, 1-0, on a late goal, after Suarez missed on three chances.

[How foreign-born players put the world in World Cup]

There is a bright spot, though. The second-lowest ranked World Cup team, Saudi Arabia has never lost to Uruguay, winning a friendly in 2002 and playing to a draw in a 2014 friendly.

Mexico delivers a World Cup earthquake with defeat of Germany, the defending champ

Your subscription supports journalism that matters.

Almost 17 minutes into the match, Saudi Arabia has a slight possession edge, a decided improvement in disciplined play over its previous game.

Cindy Boren arrived at The Post in 2000 as an assignment editor in charge of baseball and NFL/Redskins coverage. She switched to full-time writing, focusing on national sports stories and issues, when she founded The Early Lead blog in 2010.Follow

Notable: In three World Cup appearances since making the knockout round in its 1994 World Cup debut, Saudi Arabia has failed to win a game and has finished 28th, 32nd and 28th. That ugly trend continued with a 5-0 loss to Russia in the opener; the Green Falcons have been outscored, 31-4, over that span.

Saudi Arabia:vs. Egypt in Volgograd, June 25, 10 a.m.

Complete World Cup standings and schedule

Washington is watching a ton of World Cup soccer

Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais swiped at the ball and, when he missed, it went to Suarez. The striker found the empty net on a tap-in at the corner, his 52nd goal for the national team.

Its not exactly been a classic…URU1-0live ??

For Saudi Arabia, merely getting to Rostov-on-Don was problematic: Its plane landed safely after a terrifying incident in which one of the engines caught fire Monday night. The Saudi Arabian Football Federationtweeted a statement, saying it would like to reassure everyone that all the Saudi national team players are safe, after a technical failure in one of the airplane engines that has just landed in Rostov-on-Don airport, and now theyre heading to their residence safely.

Mohammed Al-Breiks attempt was headed off by a Uruguay player in the middle of the line.

Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia 2018 World Cup: Luis Suarez goal lifts Uruguay to round of 16

Last World Cup showing: Group stage, 2006.