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The turf situation at MetLife Stadium is becoming a genuine talking point at this World Cup, and it's not going away. France's Adrien Rabiot said the surface feels artificial, and multiple players and coaches have flagged how hard it plays. With the final scheduled there on July nineteenth, FIFA is going to have a serious problem on its hands if the surface keeps drawing this kind of heat.
Meanwhile Uruguay is in a precarious spot heading into their final group stage match against Spain. A two-two draw with Cape Verde leaves La Celeste needing a win to advance, and now Marcelo Bielsa confirms he'll be without both Ronald Araujo and Giorgian De Arrascaeta. Losing two of your most important players before a must-win against Spain is about as bad a hand as you can be dealt.
And Argentina's Lionel Scaloni is already managing expectations ahead of Monday's clash with Austria. The world champions opened with a three-nil win and a Messi hat-trick, but Scaloni is cautioning that nothing comes easy at this tournament, pointing specifically to the new hydration breaks as something that disrupts rhythm and fragments the flow of the game.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
