Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™

Show 9

10:00:23 This is the Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™

10:00:27 Coming up we meet group H hopefuls Senegal

10:00:30 Check out two young stars who could light up the tournament in Russia

10:00:34 And replay a classic goal from 2010

10:00:38 We start the show thirteen and a half thousand kilometres from Moscow to
take a look at the side who finished second behind Brazil in South American
qualifying.

10:00:48 FIFA-ranked 21 at the time of the draw, Uruguay have made 12 appearances
at the finals, winning two of them - in 1930 and 20 years later, in one of the
biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, when they beat Brazil 2-1 in front
of 200,000 fans at the Maracanã.

10:01:10 Playing in arguably one of the toughest qualification formats in world

football, with games against the likes of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, at times
Uruguay’s road to Russia proved less than smooth.

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 Matías Vecino, Midfielder

10:01:25 Yes, it's very difficult. Firstly, because they last a long time, almost two
years of competition, 18 matches, and in two years a lot can happen. From
the initial team that plays the first match to the one that finishes the
qualifiers, you can have a lot of changes in the squad. There's a lot of time
from the beginning to the end. There's a lot that can happen.

10:01:51 Midway through their campaign, all appeared to be going to plan for La
Celeste. 6 wins from their opening 9 games, unbeaten at home and
automatic qualification seemed all but assured.

10:02:03 But then a barren four match streak including a thumping 4-1 home defeat
against Brazil, set the alarm bells ringing.

Óscar Tabárez, Coach

10:02:15 We lost against Chile away, we lost to Brazil in Montevideo, we lost against
Peru and it was tough, but we already had experience in these types of
things and people don't understand. The fans think differently and the
journalists don't understand at times, either media also. So we qualified in
second place, straight to the world cup and later we realized that we’d
never dropped below third throughout the qualifiers.

10:02:49 Uruguay only secured their place in Russia in the final round of qualifying.
Two goals from Luis Suarez helping them to a 4-2 win over Bolivia.

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10:03:00 But it was Edinson Cavani who finished as top scorer in the South American
qualifiers, with 10 goals.

Edinson Cavani, Forward

10:03:15 It was a special moment because we qualified directly. This is very

important to our country, to our team, to this generation of both new and
experienced players.

10:03:27 This is something that is leaving a mark in the history of our football and of
our team. To finally end our run of ending up in the playoffs like that was
rewarding after all these years of hard work.

10:03:49 In terms of formation Uruguay are anything but predictable. In the 12 years
since Oscar Tabarez took charge for a second time, his evolutionary approach
has seen them qualify for four consecutive finals.

Óscar Tabárez, Coach

10:04:03 I don't really believe in tactics as such. A team can play a thousand different
ways and can be efficient. We have already played with three defenders,
four defenders. We have played 4-3-3 in the qualifiers, many times, games
that have been difficult, but you need to have the players for each position.
What needs to be done is what modern football teams do: apply pressure
as soon as you lose the ball, know what to do when that doesn't work, work
out what we can do, how to track back, how to recognise the areas to
recover the ball, the distance between the lines, basically what any modern
team does.

Maxi Pereira, Defender

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10:04:49 He has taught us that football is not just about how you play, but that you
need other qualities. I feel like the younger players that are coming in are
starting to understand what football is really about, which is very
important.

10:05:08 Uruguay’s Star Player is Luis Suarez. Despite being absent at the start of the
qualifying campaign, he continues to be an inspiration to La Celeste. And
Russia 2018 could provide Suarez with redemption for his ignominious exit
from the tournament 4 years ago.

Óscar Tabárez, Coach

10:05:30 He is very motivated and has a very strong psychological component. He

has gone too far sometimes, he has made mistakes, but he is learning from
his mistakes.

10:05:44 And when you are such an important player the media always demands a
lot. And he said in a press interview that "this will be my World Cup". I
don't see it as a gesture of individualism, but I think he knows that this may
be his last World Cup. And he wants his wishes to be known, which is
personal and for the team as well.

10:06:09 And just to give you a statistic, with Luiz Suarez on the pitch, Uruguay has
yet to lose a match at the World Cup finals.

Matías Vecino, Midfielder

10:06:23 Suarez is an extraordinary player, he's the best forward in the world,
alongside two or three that are privileged to be at that level. He has made

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 the difference wherever he’s gone, in all the teams that he played for. And
he's the top scorer of the Uruguayan team, so his level is more than proven.

10:06:43 Uruguay were knocked out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ at the Round of 16
stage by South American rivals, Colombia.

10:06:51 If they are to progress further this time they may be reliant on an X factor
based round a collective fighting spirit that doesn’t know the meaning of
defeat – called ‘La Garra Charrua’.

Sebastián Coates, Defender

10:07:06 It’s an attribute perhaps not just found in Uruguay, but across all of South
America, it’s something when you start playing as a boy, everything is more
difficult than in Europe, and it shapes you, and makes you stronger. And
maybe it’s something that translates out onto the pitch. The idea of never
giving up, always fighting to the death, regardless of who you’re playing.

10:07:43 Uruguay have been drawn alongside the tournament hosts in Group A, but
begin their campaign against Egypt in Ekaterinburg.

10:07:51 5 days later they face Saudi Arabia in Rostov-on-Don, before what will
undoubtedly be an emotionally-charged final group match against Russia in
Samara.

Edinson Cavani, Forward

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10:08:03 There’s a quote I really like that says, “You can’t lose in football, you can
only learn.” That’s something we try to pass on to the younger players. At
the moment, we all seem to be on the same page. That’s why we leave
everything on the pitch when we play. We’re prepared and we have to be
prepared for what’s coming.

10:08:31 The important thing is knowing what we are going to do which is to give our
best and defend our country to make everyone happy.

10:08:45 We’re staying with Uruguay to take a look at the venue where they play their
final group game against Russia on June 25th.

10:08:52 Samara is the 9th largest city in Russia, located on the banks of the Volga, the
longest river in Europe.

10:09:00 The riverfront is a favourite location for locals and tourists, while the city has
close links with the aerospace industry and prides itself on having one of the
largest squares in Europe – Kuybysheva Square, which will host the FIFA Fan
Fest during the summer.

10:09:15 With construction almost finished, the new 45,000 seater Samara Arena has
been built on the highest point of the city.

10:09:24 The venue design is dominated by the theme of space, as a tribute to the
traditions of the region.

10:09:30 The stadium shape resembles a glass dome with a light, metallic structure of
weight-bearing supports providing a cover over the stands.

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10:09:37 The stadium will eventually be home to FC Krylya Sovetov and become
known as the Cosmos Arena.

10:09:44 Before that, the stadium will host 6 FIFA World Cup™ matches. As well as
Russia and Uruguay, Denmark, Australia, Senegal and Colombia will all play
group games there.

10:09:54 But the action gets underway in the city on June 17th when Costa Rica face
Serbia in their group E encounter.

10:10:06 It’s time for Hyundai anatomy of a goal now as we take a fresh look at one of
the best strikes from the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

10:10:16 The tournament in South Africa saw standout performances from a host of
the world’s greatest talents.

10:10:23 Thomas Muller hit five goals for Germany, the Netherlands were inspired by
the tandem of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, while the likes of Alonso,
Xavi and Iniesta passed Spain to glory.

10:10:39 But perhaps the best individual performances came from Diego Forlan, the
Uruguay forward who proved to be outstanding throughout.

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10:10:50 He opened his account with two goals in the Group Stage win over South
Africa, before helping break the hearts of the home continent again, when he
scored in a dramatic Quarter Final victory against Ghana.

10:11:07 While his long-range effort against the Dutch in the semi-finals wasn’t
enough to stop La Celeste slipping to a 3-2 defeat, he saved his best goal for
last, in the third placed play-off against Germany.

Diego Forlan

10:11:21 Some other players were heading to the box and I stayed a bit further back,
waiting for the space to be able to shoot. I was also waiting for Arévalo to
see me. He passed the ball back, he saw me, and well, what I tried to do
was keep my feet firmly on the ground. It had rained and the pitch was
quite wet. So, I was only really worried about that, trying to make contact
with the ball so that it at least had a chance of going in.

10:11:44 Replaying the goal, we can see that as Egidio Arevalo wins the ball, Germany
pushing out leaves space in behind. He plays a neat one-two, before
preparing to cross. Rather than playing the ball into the box, he sees three
Uruguayan attackers, each with several metres of separation from their
defender.

10:12:10 Arevalo opts to pick out Diego Forlan, who hits a first-time volley. Goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer is unsighted by defender Per Mertesacker, as the ball skips off
the turf and into the top corner.

10:12:25 Germany would go on to win the game in the second half, but a fourth place
finish was Uruguay’s best in 40 years.

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10:12:32 And for Forlan, he would be awarded the Adidas Golden Ball as the
tournament’s best player, forever putting his name into the history books.

10:12:43 Now we’re checking out two young stars who have the talent to light up the
tournament in Russia – Kylian Mbappe of France and Gabriel Jesus of Brazil.

10:12:52 Kylian Mbappé is still in his teens, but has already established himself as one
of the world’s best forwards.

10:12:58 Likewise 20 year old Gabriel Jesus has had an incredible breakthrough
season.

10:13:03 Now they’ll have the opportunity to show their ability on the biggest stage of
all.

10:13:08 Using the CIES Football Observatory’s player rating system we’re going to
compare them in terms of taking on opponents, defensive abilities, and
shooting.

10:13:17 When it comes to taking on opponents Mbappé scores a near perfect 99 out
of 100 compared to Jesus’s 52.

10:13:26 Mbappé is a player who relishes taking defenders on. His low centre of
gravity is utilised to good effect alongside his rapid acceleration.

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10:13:34 In terms of defensive ability, the Brazilian outscores the Frenchman with 35
out of 100.

10:13:40 With an unusually high score for an attacking player, Jesus can defend from
the front, exemplified in the pressing style of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester
City, and Tite’s hard-working Brazil.

10:13:50 When it comes to the most important aspect of their game, shooting,
Mbappé edges Jesus with 88 to 85.

10:13:58 Explosive pace, quick feet and excellent dribbling are all key attributes that
make him a nuisance to defend against, especially as he’s capable of shooting
with both feet.

10:14:08 That means the Frenchman scores higher overall on the CIES Football index
with 89 out of 100 compared to Jesus’s 81.

10:14:21 We’re travelling Six and a half thousand kilometres south west of Moscow
now to meet the team making only their second trip to the FIFA World Cup™
finals.

10:14:43 FIFA-ranked 23 at the time of the draw, Senegal reached the quarter-finals of
the tournament in their only other appearance and are one of five African
sides heading to Russia this summer.

Idrissa Gueye, Midfielder

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10:14:49 We are very happy. Senegal hasn’t played in a World Cup since 2002. We all
know people have been missing it, the players too. It’s important for a
player to take part in these kinds of competition. We are very happy, and
we just hope we’ll be able to achieve some good results.

Aliou Cisse, Coach

10:15:14 I congratulate the players because it was thanks to them that we made it.
We have an amazing generation, these players have a great mind set.
They’re able to take a look at themselves and they’ve got a great attitude.
This time we can have high hopes for the future.

10:15:32 Senegal finished unbeaten in qualifying. But, after consecutive draws against
Burkina Faso, in their fifth game against Cape Verde in October last year, they
could ill afford to drop any more points.

Diafra Sakho, Forward

10:15:47 At the time of the game, I hadn’t been playing at West Ham for a long time,
so I was really happy when I got the call from the coach. I didn’t think I
would start the game, but to not only start the game but score too was a
great pleasure. I’d say scoring one goal for the national team is worth
scoring ten for my club.

10:16:09 Senegal first met South Africa in qualifying in November 2016 when they lost
2-1. But they were handed a reprieve after the referee from Ghana was
subsequently banned for life for match manipulation and the game was
ordered to be re-played.

10:16:24 The re-match took place four days after victory over Cape Verde and a win
for Senegal would secure them a place at the FIFA World Cup™.

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 Aliou Cisse, Coach

10:16:34 I think the players were mentally prepared for it. They were very
responsive and very well-focused. It wasn’t easy but here we are. Since we
finished qualifying with 14 points, we were the best team and the best
players who qualified. Senegal deserves its qualification and it deserves to
be among the top teams in the world to represent a whole continent and a
whole country.

Diafra Sakho, Forward

10:17:04 Unlike the game against Cape Verde, I knew I was going to score in this one.
I’d told my teammates we needed to defend well, and that I might not score
twice, but I was convinced I would score at least once. I was very happy to
score again since I was expecting to and we ended up qualifying. But it was
only when we returned home that we fully realised what our performance
meant.

10:17:29 Despite the majority of his squad playing their club football in Europe, coach
Cisse has successfully created an environment, and a style of play, that his
players have taken to with remarkable results. And there’s no lack of talent to
choose from.

Aliou Cisse, Coach

10:17:50 Our philosophy is doing everything we can to win. To defend the ball and
try to move it as fast as possible. That can be either through retaining
possession, or winning the ball back, which is what we’ve tried to
implement.

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 Idrissa Gueye, Midfielder

10:18:09 With our new coach, we’re much more disciplined because we know we
used to have a lot of attacking players but, unfortunately, that led to us
conceding a lot. And when they couldn’t score, we couldn’t win games. But
with the new coach, we’re much more disciplined, we’ve got fast attacking
players, good defenders, and midfielders who can dictate the game, help
the defence or support the attack when they have to. We know we have
attacking players who can score at any time, which is why we have to play
as a team.

10:18:44 Sadio Mane is Senegal’s star player heading to Russia. Playing his club
football for Liverpool in England’s Premier League, the 25 year old forward
may only have scored once in qualifying but he was the inspiration and
driving force behind the Lions of Terranga’s success.

Idrissa Gueye, Midfielder

10:19:03 Since I’ve been in the national team, I often tease him, saying to him he can
make us win: ‘We rely on you to win games, so today you have to do
whatever it takes.’ He needs us all to be behind him, to show him that he‘s
our key player. Even if we’ve other players who are important to dictating
the game, at some point, we need these kind of players to win matches.

10:19:35 The teams X Factor could be their coach’s own experience of playing in a FIFA
World Cup™.

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10:19:40 In their sole appearance in 2002, Senegal went all the way to the quarter
finals before losing to Turkey after extra time. Captain of that side was Aliou
Cisse.

Idrissa Gueye, Midfielder

10:19:53 I think with the experience he had in 2002, he was able to show us the way,
to pull us back into line. Senegal have returned to the World Cup today, and
it’s thanks to him. He led Senegal to the World Cup as a captain and player,
and today, he’s guided us to the World Cup as a coach.

10:20:15 He knows what has to be done to qualify, he knows you need discipline, the
desire, and that’s what he’s been able to pass onto us.

10:20:24 Cisse the player captained his country to arguably its greatest ever result
when, in their opening game in 2002, they beat the defending World and
European champions, France.

Aliou Cisse, Coach

10:20:41 Nothing is impossible in football or in life. It’s been 16 years since the game
in South Korea. Nobody would have thought we were going to have that
result. History has shown that we might be a small African country
unknown to most people, but we can still achieve great things in the world.
If we can manage to face up to all of our opponents it’ll be a very positive
thing for this generation.

10:21:17 Drawn in group H, Poland will be Senegal’s first opponents at the finals when
they play in Moscow on June the 19th.

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10:21:25 Five days later they face Japan before taking on Colombia in Samara.

Aliou Cisse, Coach

10:21:34 This is the World Cup, only the best 32 national teams will be there. The
matches aren’t going to be easy, but Senegal is going to give everything it
has and we will defend the colours of our country as best as we can.

10:21:52 We round off the action with the next of our FIFA World Cup™ Firsts as we
focus on Mexico, who held the tournament in 1970 and 1986.

10:22:01 First up - 1970, and the 9th edition of the tournament that saw many notable
firsts, including the use of yellow and red cards. That led to Peru receiving
the inaugural FIFA Fair Play Trophy as a result of receiving neither colour of
card during the finals,

10:22:18 Teams were now allowed to use up to two substitutes per game and
Mexico’s Juan Ignacio Basaguren, became the first substitute to score in a
FIFA World Cup™ match during his side’s 4-0 defeat of El Salvador.

10:22:34 Adidas’ famous Telstar ball also made its debut at the finals, which also
marked the first tournament to be broadcast in colour.

10:22:42 For the first time all four teams to reach the semi-finals were former FIFA
World Cup™ champions.

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10:22:47 Brazil came from behind to beat Uruguay 3-1 and secure a place in their 3rd
final in four tournaments, while Italy beat West Germany 4-3 in what has
become known as the Game of the Century after 5 goals were scored in extra
time.

10:23:04 Brazil’s victory against Italy in the final was their 3rd world title, and earnt
them the right to keep the Jules Rimet trophy.

10:23:13 It proved to be the last appearance at a FIFA World Cup™ of Pele while Mario
Zagallo, who’d only taken over as Brazil coach 3 months earlier, became the
first person to win the FIFA World Cup™ as both a manager and player.

10:23:29 The FIFA World Cup™ returned to Mexico 16 years later in 1986, for the 13th
edition of the finals - the first time a country had hosted the tournament
twice.

10:23:39 24 teams qualified for the competition, including Canada, Denmark and Iraq
making their debuts.

10:23:46 While Canada and Iraq were knocked out in the Group stages, Denmark
topped their group with a 100% record, before Spain defeated them 5-1 in
the Round of 16.

10:24:01 Morocco became the first African side ever to reach the 2nd round of a FIFA
World Cup™ after their 3-1 victory over Portugal.

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10:24:09 Joining Morocco in the knockout stages were Paraguay who provided
another FIFA World Cup™ first when Cayetano Re became the first coach to
be sent off during their final group match against Belgium.

10:24:23 The quarter-final between Argentina and England would be remembered for
2 very different goals from Diego Maradona. The first was scored illegally
after a handball was missed by the referee, and given as a goal – becoming
known as the ‘Hand of God’.

10:24:39 While the second is often called the ‘Goal of the Century’, as Maradona
dribbled half the length of the field, past 5 English players before scoring, to
take Argentina through to the semi-finals.

10:24:51 There, they beat Belgium 2-0 courtesy of two more goals from Maradona.

10:24:58 In the other semi-final West Germany beat France by the same scoreline.

10:25:05 In the final it wasn’t Maradona but Jorge Burruchaga who would be
Argentina’s match winner, securing their 2nd title 5 minutes from time. 8
years on from their home triumph, Argentina regained the FIFA World Cup™
and 30 million people celebrated in the streets.

10:25:23 For West Germany, defeat saw Franz Beckenbauer gain the somewhat
unwanted distinction of losing a FIFA World Cup™ final as both player and
coach.

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10:25:34 That’s it for now, but join us next time as we continue on the Road to the
2018 FIFA World Cup™ in Russia.

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