Arrascaeta comes on late, but Uruguay lose friendly to Japan | OneFootball

Giorgian de Arrascaeta had limited involvement in Uruguay’s 2-1 loss to Japan this Thursday, the 24th, at Miyagi Stadium. The friendly marked Diego Forlán’s debut in charge of La Celeste Olímpica.

Flamengo’s No. 10 started the match on the bench and was only brought on in the 22nd minute of the second half. The decision was part of the coaching staff’s workload management during the FIFA international window, as the attacking midfielder has been receiving special attention during this period.

Giorgian De Arrascaeta’s presence, however, was not enough to change the result. When he came on, the score was tied at 1-1, and Uruguay was trying to take advantage of its momentum to complete the comeback.

Arrascaeta took part in Uruguay’s response

Even with little time on the pitch, Giorgian de Arrascaeta helped build a few attacking moves. Uruguay stepped up the pressure after equalizing, but failed to turn its territorial dominance into a lead on the scoreboard.

The team had a good chance with Federico Viñas in the 25th minute. Shortly after, Darwin Núñez hit the post in a move that underscored Uruguay’s pressure on the Japanese defense. In the end, Japan found space again and managed to seal the friendly in the second half.

Diego Forlán begins his tenure with changes to the team

Forlán’s first test in charge of Uruguay also suggested that the new coach intends to look at different options in the squad. The lineup used against Japan featured important changes compared to the team previously managed by Bielsa.

Japan opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Kuryu Matsuki. Uruguay responded in the 42nd, when Maxi Araújo leveled the match. In the second half, Palmeiras’ Joaquin Piquerez came on in place of Rodrigo Bentancur.

The full-back, however, was unable to make enough of an impact to change the course of the match. For Flamengo, Guillermo Varela remained on the bench throughout the entire friendly. Arrascaeta, meanwhile, was given just over 20 minutes to show his football, but did not shine on the pitch.

Uruguay will have another opportunity to test Diego Forlán’s work on the 28th against South Korea. The match will be another step for the coach to assess the team’s setup and define the roles of key players, including Giorgian De Arrascaeta.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.