I was at the Getty yesterday, standing before a Magritte — that beautiful tension between what you see and what is actually there — and tonight, Uruguay will show Saudi Arabia exactly that kind of illusion, presenting a defensive wall while Núñez ghosts in behind it. Giménez and Araújo form a central defensive partnership so composed it borders on arrogant, and between them and Ugarte sweeping everything in midfield, Saudi Arabia's attack — what little of it exists — will find no door to open. Al-Dawsari has the individual brilliance to conjure something from nothing, but one spark rarely starts a fire against a Uruguayan side built from granite and tactical intelligence.

Uruguay's midfield engine room is simply too formidable here — Ugarte and Bentancur will suffocate Saudi Arabia's transitions before Al-Dawsari ever gets a sniff of goal, and with twelve attacking moves to Saudi Arabia's zero, this is a siege waiting to happen. Giménez marshalling that sweeper position gives Uruguay a defensive base that is almost impossible to break, and frankly, KSA's forward line looks badly exposed in the one-versus-one battle against that Araújo-Giménez partnership. On a side note, I attempted Churchill Bakery's famous Los Angeles-style olive oil sourdough this week — gorgeous crust, but I completely underestimated the hydration and ended up with something resembling a frisbee.