Valverde pulls strings but Uruguay held to goalless draw by resilient Algeria in Turin

Algeria and Uruguay shared a 0-0 draw on Tuesday evening at Turin’s Allianz Stadium, with Vladimir Petković’s compact structure repelling Óscar Tabárez’s possession-heavy approach.

Uruguay controlled large stretches, Federico Valverde dictating the press with 61 completed passes and unleashing the visitors’ only shot on target in the 62nd minute, a drive Luca Zidane palmed away. Giorgian de Arrascaeta supplied four key passes but could not unravel the screening of Aïssa Mandi and Zineddine Belaid, whose positioning in front of Zidane ensured Algeria did not concede despite failing to register a shot on target.

Petković stationed Zidane behind a defensive trio of Mandi, Belaid and Ramy Bensebaini, while Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rafik Belghali pushed on to swing between a back three and a back four even though no official formation was published. Tabárez also went without a listed shape, yet Guillermo Varela and Mathías Olivera operated as orthodox full-backs, Manuel Ugarte and Valverde patrolled midfield, and Federico Viñas led the line until Darwin Núñez replaced him in the 69th minute.

Discipline framed the evening. Belghali was cautioned in the 37th minute, before Bensebaini and Agustín Canobbio were booked during the same 44th-minute flashpoint. Zineddine Belaid collected another yellow on 52 minutes, Mohamed Amoura came off the bench in the 64th minute and was shown a card two minutes later, Sergio Rochet received a booking in the 68th minute, and de Arrascaeta completed Uruguay’s warning list in the 82nd minute.

Tabárez sought greater incision straight after the interval by sending on Sebastián Cáceres for Ronald Araújo in the 46th minute to squeeze the defensive line higher. Petković countered with Amoura for Hicham Boudaoui in the 64th minute and Riyad Mahrez for Houssem Aouar a minute later, Mahrez tucking inside to help Algeria break Uruguay’s press. A triple change on 79 minutes introduced Achref Abada, Yassine Titraoui and Nadhir Benbouali, followed by Ramiz Zerrouki in the 80th minute, yet Algeria still could not work Rochet.

Uruguay’s final wave turned into a late audition. Facundo Pellistri and Juan Manuel Sanabria appeared in the 87th minute, then Emiliano Martínez and Nicolás de la Cruz at 90+2 minutes after Valverde and de Arrascaeta had emptied the tank. Sanabria’s stoppage-time surge produced a blocked effort, illustrating how close Uruguay came without landing another serious test on Zidane.

Key stats:

• Shots on target: Algeria 0, Uruguay 1
• Total shots: Algeria 6, Uruguay 11
• Possession: Algeria 41 percent, Uruguay 59 percent
• Corner kicks: Algeria 5, Uruguay 6
• Accurate passes: Algeria 280/340 (82 percent), Uruguay 425/485 (88 percent)

Petković will take a compact, competitive template into the June window after mixing trusted figures with emerging talents such as Ibrahim Maza without losing structure. Tabárez, meanwhile, must coax more cutting edge from a side that dominated the ball yet again without finding the breakthrough. For readers tracking the rest of the friendly programme, keep an eye on Netherlands vs Ecuador as another benchmark for South American contenders this week.