On Tuesday evening, at 20:00 GMT, Rodrigo Bentancur and his Uruguay side were in CONMEBOL World Cup qualification action away to Bolivia, in the infamous high altitude of over 4000 metres.
As per usual, Bentancur was named in the starting XI by manager Marcelo Bielsa, starting as a central midfielder in a 442 shape, alongside Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte. It was his 69th appearance for his country.
How things went for midfielder and his side in brutal conditions
In the first half, Uruguay found themselves under the cosh, having just 42% of the ball, and five shots to their hosts 10 – though maybe given the high altitude, this isn’t that much of a surprise, with teams often struggling to deal with playing Bolivia away from home.
Things did not improve in the second half, with Uruguay having just 26% of the ball, and six shots to their hosts incredible 22. Despite this, they were able to cling on for a point, and come out of the insane conditions with a 0-0 draw and a point on the board.
Regarding Bentancur himself, he played the 90 minutes, which no doubt would have been extremely tough. He registered; 44 touches, one chance created, one shot off target, two shots blocked, 2/4 aerial duels won, three clearances, one blocked shot, one interception, and two tackles. Uruguay needed a battling performance in there, and that is exactly what they got.
This draw, whilst not ideal, does keep Bolivia – who currently occupy seventh position, the one play off spot rather than automatic qualification – at arms length, with the seven point gap remaining as it is, with four games left off qualifcation.
As a sidenote, Bolivia not winning the game means that Cristian Romero and his Argentina side have secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup, where they will be looking to defend their crown, having won the tournament in Qatar back in the winter of 2022. They will now be able to play their game against Brazil – about to kick off as this is being typed – with more freedom, even though it will no doubt be an intense battle anyway.
Bentancur’s international break is now done, with 180 minutes in the tank across the two qualifiers for Uruguay. He will now return to Spurs, ahead of the Premier League clash with fellow London side Chelsea next week, with Ange’s side having no game this weekend due to the FA Cup quarter-finals that are taking place.