Nov 30

Uruguay retain UFWC title ahead of Copa America challenge

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Uruguay 3-1 Trinidad & Tobago 27 May 2016 Friendly Estadio Centenario, Montevideo Scorers: Cavani (2), Vecini (Uruguay); Williams (T&T)

Uruguay retained the UFWC title in the absence of injured Luis Suarez with this win over Trinidad & Tobago. Edinson Cavani scored twice in what was a comfortable 3-1 victory, although Uruguay had been behind to an early Trinidad & Tobago goal. The win sets the Unofficial Football World Champions up for their Copa America Centenario campaign, and means the UFWC title will be contested in the US this summer. With Suarez carrying a hamstring injury, and set to miss the start of the Copa America, Paris St Germain striker Cavani led the line alongside Bordeaux's Diego Rolan. Uruguay had the ball in the net within two minutes, only for Carlos Sanchez's strike to be ruled out for what looked like an incorrect offside call. But it was Trinidad & Tobago who took a shock lead, silencing the Centenario crowd. Shahdon Winchester won the ball amid a dithering Uruguayan defence, and laid it off to Jomal Williams, who sidefooted home from the edge of the box with just seven minutes gone. The equaliser came from the penalty spot midway through the first half, with Cavani driving the ball into the roof of the net after Nicolas Lodeiro had been fouled. And Cavani gave Uruguay the lead in the 38th minute, scoring from the edge of the six-yard box after Trinidad & Tobago failed to clear a corner. Five minutes into the second half the score was 3-1, when Rolan's low cross set up Matias Vecino to finish cleverly from close range. Gaston Ramirez, out of contract and Southampton and eying a return to Middlesbrough, almost scored a fourth with a good volley, but there were no more goals. This was Uruguay's 23rd UFWC title match win. They need just two more to match France's 25 and reach the top ten in the all-time UFWC rankings. Next up for Uruguay and the UFWC is the Copa America Centenario, which begins in the US on 4 June. Uruguay's first match, and the next UFWC title match, is against Mexico on 5 June at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Will Uruguay retain the title without Luis Suarez, and what will the rest of the tournament hold? We'll have a full UFWC Copa America preview here on ufwc.co.uk in the next few days. This match kicked off at 20:10 on the evening of 27/05/2016 in Montevideo, which was 00:10 on the morning of 28/05/2016 in London.